


Secret Love

by raeinspace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Post-Regina's First Dark Curse, Pre-Regina's First Dark Curse, Ruby/Cora, Secret Relationship, Storybrooke, The Enchanted Forest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 02:14:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11522418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raeinspace/pseuds/raeinspace
Summary: Cora arrives in Storybrooke, and secretly rekindles her relationship with Ruby. Regina doesn't trust her mother. Can Cora and Ruby show the town that they really are in love?Post-curse with flashbacks to pre-curse. RedHeart? WARNING: Mature content





	Secret Love

OUAT 12 – RedHeart (or Secret Love).

 

Chapter 1.

 

Cora turned away from watching her daughter walk down the street and told Hook to return to his ship. She had seen what she wanted.

~~~~~~

 

Ruby finished locking up the diner and began walking home. As always she tilted her head up to look at the moon, checking how close it was to being full. Although it distracted her from the details, her wolf senses picked up that she was being followed and she purposefully spun on her heels without slowing to confront whoever it was.

Her breath caught in her throat as she recognised Cora.

“You… you’re _here_.” Her voice came out in a breathless whisper.

Cora smiled at her and reached out to trace a hand across the pitifully thin material Ruby was wearing as a top. “If you wore this in our world you would cause such a scandal…”

“Everyone’s talking about you. They think they stopped you from being able to come here.”

Cora’s eyes brightened as she moved her hand down to grab Ruby’s arm. She held it gently, but firmly and pulled her into a quiet-looking alleyway. Ruby didn’t protest, even when Cora pushed her up against the brick wall.

“They always were very foolish.”

Her hand moved to the buttons on the sleeveless shirt and Ruby closed her eyes as Cora began to undo them.

“Did you miss me?” Cora asked her.

“Yes.” Ruby emphasised the end letter as she felt Cora remove her bra, allowing the cold night air touch her skin.

f“I missed you.” Cora lifted Ruby’s arms above her head and held them in place with her magic, before beginning to kiss at her exposed breasts.

Ruby arched her back, pushing her body towards Cora’s. Cora laughed and dragged her nails down Ruby’s stomach, stopping to look at the skirt.

“Up or down?” She asked no-one in particular. “It’s so short there’s hardly anything there.”

“God, Cora, just…”

Cora slammed her lips into Ruby’s, cutting off her words. “Now you know what I’m going to do, but if you keep talking you’ll distract me. I’ve shielded us so no-one can see or hear what we do here but that doesn’t mean we have a lot of time right now.”

“Mmm.” Ruby nodded as she felt Cora flip up her skirt and run a finger against her underwear.

“So damp my little wolf, that’s good.” Cora whispered into her ear, removing the red knickers with a wave of her hand. “Now I want you to come for me. Can you do that?”

Ruby nodded as she felt Cora press two fingers into her. Her body tightened as she remembered all the other times they had been together. Cora’s fingers began their familiar rhythm and her thumb brushed lightly against Ruby’s clit. Ruby’s hips began to move against her as she felt Cora’s tongue enter her mouth. Within minutes her body was shaking, her eyes closed and her breath coming out in short bursts.

Cora withdrew her fingers and licked them individually as Ruby watched. “I’d like more, but we need to talk.”

“I need to taste you.” Ruby begged. “Your smell is all over me, just let me please. I’ll be quick.”

Cora smiled at her, releasing her arms. “I was hoping you would say that, but not here.”

“We can go to my place.” Ruby rested her head against Cora’s, breathing in her scent.

“Your grandmothers house?”

“No, my secret place. How did you know I was living with her?”

Cora wrapped her arms around Ruby. “Just tell me where and I’ll teleport us.”

 

Chapter 2.

 

Flashback.

_“Snow White is responsible for so many deaths.” Cora whispered in Red’s ear as she brushed her long silky hair._

_It reminded her of her daughter’s hair, and that had made her want to share a few secrets with her new guest._

_“But I killed my mother. Not Snow.”_

_“You told Snow where to wait for you. She disobeyed you and forced the situation. She did the same thing before, a long time ago. She made a promise to a young woman that she wouldn’t tell her family about the man she loved. The woman was rich, a noble, and her family wouldn’t have approved the match. But Snow, being Snow, just had to tell the mother.” Cora began plaiting the hair and pinning it in place as Red watched her reflection in the mirror, mesmerised._

_“What happened?”_

_“The family were angry. The mother had made so many sacrifices to give her daughter everything and she felt betrayed and hurt when she found out.”_

_“Did they have to run away?”_

_“They never had the chance. The boy died and the grief sent the daughter mad. Her family arranged a new marriage for her, but after several years she couldn’t take it and killed her husband. So you see that’s another two deaths Snow White is responsible for.”_

_“That’s awful.” Red bit her lip as she looked up at Cora. “I need to tell you something. I have killed someone. Other than my mother, I mean.”_

_“Was it also self-defence?”_

_“No. I’m a…werewolf.”_

_Cora didn’t pause as she finished Red’s hair, but gave a little smile towards the mirror._

_“I know.” She told her softly._

_Red tried to turn around but Cora’s grip on her hair was strong. “How?”_

_“Magic.”_

_“You’re a witch?”_

_“Does that frighten you?”_

_“No more than the idea of becoming a wolf every full moon.” Red clenched her hands together in her lap. “I damaged my red cloak. It stopped me from transforming.”_

_“Maybe I could fix it for you?” Cora offered._

_“Do you think you could?”_

_“I get lonely here on my own. It was nice to have company. If you promise to come and visit me again, I will try.”_

~~~~~~

_Two months later and they had become close friends. Red had chosen to stay with Cora and they spent much time in each other’s company. They were secluded from most of the world in the small forest castle. Cora explained that she used magic to keep people away because no-one trusted witches anymore._

_One morning Red was relaxing in the bath when Cora walked in accidentally. She apologised but Red waved it off._

_“I’ve woken naked in the forest after a transformation. I’m comfortable with my body.”_

_Cora’s eyes darted to the areas of skin above the water line and Red’s nose widened as she caught scent of Cora’s arousal. It wasn’t the first time she had noticed the older woman’s reaction to her body, but this was the first time she had no clothes on. Cora began to back out of the bathroom, so Red made a snap decision, purely on instinct and began to sit up in the water. The sight of her breasts emerging from the bath stopped Cora in her tracks._

_“What are you doing?” She asked, her breath a mere whisper._

_Red stepped out of the bath and towards Cora, keeping her eyes locked on hers. As the water dripped slowly onto the wooden floorboards, she reached out to run her hands through Cora’s hair. Before the other woman could protest, she gently brushed their lips together, her body tingling at the taste._

_In an instant she felt Cora’s hands reach around her back to pull her closer. Red smiled and prolonged the kiss, running her tongue teasingly along Cora’s bottom lip. They broke apart eventually, panting for air._

_Red didn’t know what to say. She knew what she wanted to tell her, but was afraid that the words would be rejected. Her wolf senses had told her Cora might be interested, but a kiss might have been as far as her curiosity went._

_“Am I taking advantage of you?” Cora asked. “You’re a guest in my house.”_

_“No.” Red assured her. “I want this. I want you.”_

_Cora smiled. “Good.”_

_Red lifted the towel from the hook on the wall and began to dry herself while Cora watched. She purposefully moved the towel slowly to give Cora time to see her whole body and when she was dry she looked over at her clothes a little disappointedly._

_Cora licked her lips and held out her hand. “You look tired, why don’t I walk you to your room.”_

_Red quickly accepted, bundling her clothes into her arms without putting them on. She took Cora’s hand and followed her down the empty corridor to her bedroom. Cora sat her down on the edge of the bed and gently touched her legs, indicating she should lie back against the pillows._

_“There’s a good girl.” She whispered, climbing up to kneel between Red’s feet._

_“I’ve never done this before.” Red told her, a little afraid at how quickly things were moving._

_“Don’t worry. Relax and I’ll take things slowly. You can tell me to stop anytime you want.”_

_“Okay.”_

_Cora stroked her hands down Red’s legs, encouraging them to open for her. Red watched, her eyes wide, as Cora leant forward to place a kiss on Red’s stomach. Cora began trailing the kisses up and around Red’s breasts before moving slowly back down her body. When she reached Red’s clit, her tongue darted out and traced a line down to the opening and back to her clit. Red’s hips lifted slightly off the bed at the sensation and Cora smiled up at her._

Chapter 3.

 

They crashed through the front door and into Ruby’s cabin, located in the Storybrooke woods. As they kissed their hands tore at each others clothes and Ruby directed them into the bedroom.

“It’s cold in here.” Cora told her as Ruby lifted her onto the bed.

“I’d light the fire but then someone would know we’re here.” Ruby explained her, removing the last of Cora’s underwear. “Perhaps I can warm you up another way…”

Cora pulled back the blankets, breathing in Ruby’s scent as her head touched the pillow. They were both completely naked. Cora ran her hands above her head, allowing her hands to curl around the wooden headboard.

“It’s been so long.” Cora told her. “I began to worry I would never see you again.”

Ruby climbed on top of her, straddling her above the waist. “Regina told me you were dead.”

“She thought I was.”

Ruby began to stroke Cora’s breasts, running her hands in light circles across her skin. Cora’s nipples hardened under their expert touch.

“You no longer carry my scent.”

“Twenty eight years is a long time. I went back to our house, to your room, but the scent had faded.”

“You slept in our bed without me?” Ruby knelt forward, leaning on her lower arms and drew her teeth against Cora’s stomach, barely grazing the skin.

“No, but it’s still there…Waiting for us.” Cora’s breathing faltered as Ruby’s bites became rougher, leaving little white marks that soon faded.

“Good.” Ruby licked over the skin where the marks had been, as if to apologise, and moved further down Cora’s body.

She took her in her mouth, sucking and licking as she inhaled the smell. Cora’s scent brought back so many memories and she shivered as she pictured their old bed. Silk sheets, mountains of pillows…

Cora’s hands laced through Ruby’s hair, admiring its softness and pleased that she hadn’t cut it short the way Regina had. She felt herself grow wet as Ruby’s administrations caused her body to react. It had been so long and she had missed her little pet wolf so much…

~~~~~~

Later, as she lay back with her arms around Ruby, she dared to ask the question.

“What news do you have for me about Snow White?”

“What?” Ruby was too sleepy to understand the question.

“Our plan. Snow White? You befriend her and find her weaknesses so that we can help Regina destroy her.”

“Oh, Cora. Can’t we leave that until tomorrow?”

“No. The sooner I have the information you’ve been gathering the sooner I can get my daughter back. Unless you’ve switched sides? Have you begun to believe in her goodness again?”

Ruby sat up and looked down at Cora. “How can you ask me that after what we just did?”

But deep down she knew. She remembered this Cora, the one from the Enchanted Forest. It was just hard to think of it when all she wanted to do was remember the good times they spent together.

“I’m so close to gaining Regina’s love. I can feel it.” Cora explained.

“Well things have gotten complicated here.”

“With Emma Swan, I know all about her and Henry.”

“Regina’s trying to change for Henry. Going after his grandmother won’t be part of her plans right now.”

“She told me she loved me, but only when she thought I was dead and couldn’t hear her. I couldn’t say it back. This is the only way I can show her. This is the one thing she has always wanted and it will make her happy again.”

There were tears in Cora’s eyes as she spoke and Ruby reached out to wipe them from her face.

“She’s been happy with Henry.”

“But she’s had to live with that woman every day for twenty eight years. I can see it in her eyes, she isn’t happy.”

“If I tell you what I know, and you tell Regina… just promise me that if she doesn’t want you to do anything to hurt Snow White you won’t.”

“Don’t you want to see her dead?”

“You’re here. That’s all I need to make me happy.”

Cora smiled and stroked a hand through her hair. “Very well. I promise, I will do whatever Regina wants with regards to Snow White.”

Ruby nodded, satisfied and lay back down in Cora’s arms. She began relating their cursed lives right up to the moment Cora had returned.

 

Chapter 4.

 

Armed with the knowledge provided by Ruby, Cora went to visit her daughter. She was disappointed, but not surprised, by Regina’s reaction and wove her words carefully. She retreated back to Ruby’s cabin for a few hours while the younger woman returned to work at the diner. It gave her time to plan her next move. She had promised not to harm Henry. The rest of the town was fair game.

She sought out Rumplestiltskin first. If she could get him to agree to stay out of her way this would be easy. If he refused, she would have to rethink her plans. She knew about his dagger, and Belle. They made him weak. She wouldn’t hesitate to use them against him.

She wasn’t surprised to find Regina in his shop. The girl had obviously run there straight after her visit, looking for his advice or assistance. Rumplestiltskin stared at her as though remembering the day she had dared to double-cross him and cheat him out of the contract she had signed. Did he ever wonder what would have happened if they had produced a child together? Would a daughter have still looked like Regina?

“Mother, you shouldn’t be here.” Regina told her, interrupting her thoughts.

She wanted to crush Rumplestiltskin for the way he smiled at her daughter when she spoke, but she knew she had to remain calm.

“The Dark One and I are old friends. I only came to visit him.”

She didn’t expect Regina to believe her, but she also didn’t call the lie. Instead the dark head shook from side to side and returned to her conversation with Rumplestiltskin.

“Do I have your word?” Regina asked.

Cora saw the way he looked towards the curtain separating the back of the shop. She wondered if Belle was standing there, listening to the conversation, influencing his answer.

She missed the reply and watched as Regina left the shop without saying goodbye. It hurt, knowing her daughter was being forced to reject her because of Snow White’s grandson. Eva’s great-grandson.

She turned back to Rumplestiltskin who had been watching her and regained her composure. With a flick of her wrist she raised a sound shield around them. He would know what it was, but at least Belle wouldn’t be able to hear them and that meant he might choose to tell her the truth.

“Welcome back.” He nodded to her as though he had known she was coming.

He probably had known. Perhaps he had arranged for Hook to be available to bring her back.

“What is your game in all of this?” She asked him, walking over to the counter.

“I don’t know what you mean, dearie.”

“You always have a plan for the future, a way of making everyone follow the paths you want them to take. Which side are you going to be on?”

He grinned. “The same side I’ve always been on.”

“You know why I’m here.”

“Because you love your daughter. Or at least you think you love her. You know you should and you want to but you can’t. There’s just something missing.”

“I do love her.”

“So you put your heart back?” He knew the answer but asked the question anyway.

Cora laughed. “No. I’m stronger without it.”

“Then my previous statement stands.”

“Look, are you going to stand in my way?”

“That depends if your intentions conflict with my interests.”

“I’m going to get my daughter back.”

“And?”

Dammit, he was enjoying this. She could see it in his eyes.

“I promised not to hurt Henry, but I know you’ve helped Snow White before.”

“And I got what I wanted from that deal. I can’t see any reason we should fight.”

“Then promise and I’ll leave.”

“What’s in it for me?”

Cora smiled and looked towards the curtain. “I promise not to hurt the woman you love.”

Rumplestiltskin was no longer smiling. “Don’t forget who I am.”

“That’s why I’m offering the deal, so that we both know we can trust each other.”

“Is that the only reason you came here?”

Cora shook her head. “No, but we can talk about that once I lower the sound barrier. I’m sure Belle is desperately worried about you by now. Or would she believe we were standing here in silence?”

“Jealous of her, are you?”

“A girl without magic? Hardly. I have better things to occupy my time. Does she know about us?”

“There never was an us, remember? You chose a different path.”

Cora waved her hand removing the spell before he could say anything else. She thought she saw the curtain move as she asked the price of one of the items in the shop.

Rumplestiltskin didn’t say anything as she handed him a few gold coins, worth slightly less than he had asked for.

“Do we have a deal?”

He nodded and she waited. She needed to hear his words out loud to make them binding.

“Yes, yes. Now go away before you scare the other customers.” He told her, finally.

Cora smiled as she left. When she returned to the cabin, she looked at the clock on the wall. Ruby would be home soon.

 

Chapter 5.

 

Ruby frowned when she saw the smoke. She had told Cora to use her magic to warm up the cabin if she got cold. Not to light a fire which would send a signal to everyone that someone was there while it’s owner was in town, working at the diner. If anyone knew she was harbouring the ex-Queen of Hearts… Well, they’d be shocked and she wouldn’t have to hide her feelings anymore. Granny would be upset. Horrified. She’d probably come after Cora with her crossbow and one of them would end up dead.

Pushing open the door, she could hear raised voices. It was Regina and Cora and they were over talking each other barely pausing to catch their breath. She wondered if she should interrupt, but remember that both women had magic and she didn’t. It might not be the safest place for her to be.

She closed the front door and went around the cabin to the kitchen window. It was open so she looking inside to make sure the coast was clear and continued on to the back door. She unlocked it and stepped inside, placing the grocery shopping on the side and starting to unpack it.

The floor trembled and there was a loud bang as someone used magic. She hoped they were both okay. They were still yelling but she couldn’t hear anything about wounds. She wished she could shut off her werewolf hearing, but they weren’t even trying to be subtle and their voices carried easily through the small space.

Ruby steadied a glass as all the doors rattled and frowned. Yelling at each other was fine. It was a healthy, normal way to clear the air sometimes. Destroying her cabin would just be bad manners.

Leaving the last of the unpacked foods in the bag, she walked calmly in the direction of the voices. They didn’t seem to notice her presence. She tried saying their names, but it was lost in the garble of their words.

“Hey!” She had to yell to get their attention.

“What?” They spoke at the same time, eyes misting over in purple as they turned towards her.

Ruby felt her legs turn to jelly as she remembered she was supposed to stay calm. Then she remembered that this was her cabin.

“…and I’m not about to let you destroy it!”

They looked puzzled and she realised she had only spoken the last part of her thoughts out loud. Shaking her head, she tried again.

“No magic inside the cabin. No floors rumbling, no doors flying off their hinges, no explosions, no damage. Understood?”

Cora was the first to look away. She mumbled an apology. Regina looked towards her mother as if a little surprised.

“Now, why don’t you both take a seat and we’ll have something warm to drink like civilised people and you can discuss whatever you need to.”

It was the wrong thing to say.

“I don’t need to _discuss_ anything.” Regina told her.

Cora turned towards her. “Then why did you come here?”

“To tell you to go home. I don’t want you interfering in my life and making it worse.”

“That’s not fair. I just want to help you.”

“No, you just want to…”

“Okay, enough.” Ruby waved her hands at them as she interrupted.

“This has nothing to do with you Miss Lucas.” Regina told her.

“It’s my cabin.” Ruby pointed out.

Regina looked around. She hadn’t paid attention to where she was until that moment. She had been so intent on following her mother, teleporting herself after her when she left Rumplestiltskin’s shop. Then she understood what Ruby meant and she frowned at her mother.

“If you have her under a spell, remove it immediately. I won’t have you using magic to enslave anyone in this town.”

Cora smiled. “I don’t have her under a spell.”

“Then why did you come to her cabin?”

“Because she’s staying here.” Ruby explained.

“Don’t be ridiculous, why would…” Regina paled as she watched Cora step towards Ruby and lace their fingers together. “No.”

“Yes.” Cora nodded. “Regina, I was waiting for the right time to tell you.”

“She’s young enough to be your granddaughter! She’s the same age as Snow White!”

“None of us look our real ages.” Ruby reminded her. “Something to do with a curse we were under for twenty-eight years.”

“Though we were together before that.” Cora chimed in.

“What?”

Ruby wondered if she should offer the ex-mayor a chair, or something alcoholic. She didn’t look well. Cora seemed to be enjoying herself though, now that she had Regina’s full attention.

“Back when Snow White was an outlaw in your kingdom. We met one day and that was that.”

Regina looked at Ruby. “You don’t understand what she is. You need to go back to town and stay there.”

“I know who she is.” Ruby leant into Cora and put her free hand over their joined ones. “I’m not afraid of her.”

“Then why the big secret? I bet Granny and Snow White and Emma don’t know. I think I should tell them and see what they have to say about it.”

“Regina, please.”

“Because you know what they’ll say.” Regina put her hands on her hips. “Mother, this is your final chance. Leave Storybrooke now, or I’ll tell everyone you came back and where you are.”

“Why haven’t you told them already?” Cora asked her.

“I wanted to see if you would keep your promise not to hurt anyone. If I’d known about this…”

“She’s not hurting me!” Ruby protested. “She’s…”

Ruby bit her bottom lip, unable to say ‘ _good_ ’ at the end of that sentence.

“At least give me time to prove I can change.” Cora begged her.

“You’ve had years. I know you can’t change. I’ve wished for it every night since I was a little girl. Now I know better.”

“Henry believes you can change. I believe Cora can.” Ruby pointed out.

“You don’t know what she’s like.”

“I do. We were together a long time in the other world. I saw both sides of her in that time.”

“How can you pretend to be Snow White’s friend and not hate her.”

Ruby shrugged. “Because I love her.”

 

Chapter 6.

 

Regina laughed. It was a broken sound, as though she wanted to cry. She looked at the way Ruby and her mother stood together and she couldn’t believe it. She was sure her mother was somehow using magic to manipulate the younger woman. She had seen the darkness in her mother, but after twenty-eight years of living in the same small town she knew Ruby was a truly good person.

“Regina.” Cora dropped Ruby’s hand and tried to step towards her daughter, but Regina backed away. “Listen…”

“No.” Regina took another step back and looked around.

The door was behind her mother and Ruby. If she wanted to leave she would have to use magic, but her concentration wasn’t up to focusing on anywhere. She saw the open window behind her as she twisted her head and made a snap decision.

They watched her go, Ruby putting a hand on Cora’s shoulder to stop her from following.

“Never thought I’d see the mayor climb out a window.” She whispered, remembering what Emma had told her about Regina and Graham.

“She still hates me.” Cora sounded sad, as though forgetting her earlier anger at her daughter.

“It will be okay.”

Ruby wrapped her arms around Cora, taking comfort in the familiar smell of her perfume. She hadn’t spent a lot of time with her own mother, but she had fought more than enough times with Granny to hope that she wasn’t lying. Cora tightened her grip as she held onto Ruby’s top. She wanted to believe Regina just needed a little time.

Her hands dropped away from Ruby and she looked up at her. “What if she goes into town and tells everyone where I am?”

“She might not.”

“But if she tells them about us, your grandmother…”

“She’s upset. She won’t tell anyone. She’ll want to think things through. I don’t think she trusts anyone enough to talk to them until she’s made up her mind.”

“You have to go after her. For me.”

“What about you? You’ll find her quicker with your magic.”

“If I go, she’ll head into town angry enough not to think first. She might listen to you.”

“She thinks I’m an idiot. She made me a waitress so that I’d have to serve everyone tea and coffee, knowing I’d have been a great deputy for Graham.”

“But you can talk to her, you know Henry, you know about the life she’s been leading. Please, you have to try.”

“Fine.”

Cora smiled at her. “I’ll finish unpacking the shopping.”

“You know, Regina’s been trying to prove she’s good by not using magic. Perhaps you could do the same.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It would give you something to talk about. You could start a Magic Users Anonymous group, like the AA to help each other give it up.”

“Not going to happen. Even if I understood what that means.”

“You’ll need to do something to prove to her that you’re trying to change.”

“I’ll think of something. Something else.”

“I don’t think killing Snow White will help, either.”

Cora just smiled at her.

“Fine, I’m going to find Regina.”

“Hurry back. I missed you today.”

Ruby smiled. “I missed you too.”

Cora pulled her into a deep kiss. “I _really_ missed you. Try not to be too long.”

Ruby grinned. “Maybe I should just tie her up and hide her somewhere until she’s ready to listen.”

“If I had suggested that you’d have told me it was a bad idea.”

“Yes, but now I’m in a hurry to get back.”

Cora tugged playfully at a strand of hair hanging over her shoulder. “Be nice. I want her to accept us.”

“Oh, I don’t think we’re the problem.”

“Really?”

Ruby ran her hands across the top of Cora’s low-cut dress, wondering if she should offer to pick her up some clothes in the town. Of course Cora could magic up her own clothes, but she wouldn’t know what the latest styles were without seeing them first. Cora had some wonderful assets, it would be such a shame to hide them under the wrong clothes.

Then she remembered what she had been saying.

“Just a hunch, but I think Regina may be interested in Emma more than she realises.”

“Just a hunch?”

“Well, my werewolf senses aren’t as reliable as they were in the Enchanted Forest, _but_ I have noticed a few things…”

_Like the way a faint blush creeps along her skin when Emma leans across the table at the diner to pass Henry the ketchup. Or when Emma smiles at her and she wants to smile back but doesn’t trust herself to limit it to amusement instead of genuine emotion._ Ruby couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just her imagination.

Cora’s eyes sharpened in interest. “And…”

Ruby laughed. “I’ll tell you the rest later. After I’ve spoken to Regina.”

She ran to the window and hopped out before Cora could stop her. Raising her face to the wind, she began searching for Regina’s scent. Her eyes glanced down and she noticed the familiar footprints of high-heeled shoes. Tracking the former queen shouldn’t be a problem.

 

Chapter 7.

 

Ruby caught up to Regina before she was halfway out of the woods.

“Hey, wait up.” She called, jogging over.

Regina looked over her shoulder, but didn’t slow down. “Leave me alone.”

“Can’t do that, sorry.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Regina turned to face her. “Whatever my mother told you to say, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I just want to talk to you.”

“No, she wants to talk to me and she’s using you to try and manipulate me into listening. It won’t work.”

“She’s not using me.”

“She’s got you under a spell, of course you can’t see it…”

“Regina…”

“How am I going to explain to your grandmother?”

“I’m not under a spell! Use your magic and you’ll see it’s true.”

“That’s right, you know I promised Henry I wouldn’t use magic and now you want to trick me…”

“I’m not trying to trick you…”

“I just need to go and tell them she’s here. Maybe Gold’s magic is strong enough…”

“No! You know you can’t trust him.”

“And I’m supposed to trust _her_?”

“She’s your mother, she loves you.”

Ruby was too intent on her argument to react in time. Regina’s open palm collided with her cheek. The mayor took a step back as if she couldn’t believe she had struck Ruby, but she didn’t apologise.

“Don’t pretend to know anything about her. She lies and does whatever she wants to get the only thing she cares about. Power. If you weren’t under a spell you’d be able to see it. She isn’t capable of love.”

“Then why does she always talk about how much she loves you? Even before we came here, she would tell me about you and how she wished she could make you happy. Just give her a second chance…”

“Second chance? Second? She’s had a thousand chances and each time I believed her. Well, now I have a son and I’m going to protect him from her.”

“She promised not to hurt Henry.”

Regina stepped toward Ruby, pointing a finger at her. “I’m not willing to take the risk that she’s lying.”

“I believe her.”

“Even if you’re not under a spell, the fact that you think you’re in love with each other shows how severely compromised your intelligence is.”

“I didn’t say that I think she loves me, just that I love her. We may not be each others True Love, but…”

“It’s more than lust?” Regina mocked her. “Are you sure it’s not just the physical side? You’re not secretly attracted to women and she was the only one who paid any attention to you?”

“No.”

“I remember your story, what was the boys name? Peter? After his death you realised what you really were and had to run away.”

“I met your mother after I damaged my red cloak. She repaired it for me. She didn’t care that I’m a werewolf.”

“Why would she? All the thousands she’s killed, why would she care that you killed the boy and your own mother?”

“She was lonely. She wanted a friend.”

“What she wanted was a spy, someone who could befriend Snow White and report back to her. How long did it take before she seduced you? Did she make you think it was your idea?”

“That’s not what happened.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter, once I get back to town and tell them where she is…”

“Please…”

Regina took Ruby’s hands into her own. “If you come back with me now, they don’t have to know that you were involved.”

Ruby pulled her hands away. “They’ll kill her.”

“Maybe not. Gold has stronger magic than I do, he might have a way to remove her powers and then Emma can lock her up.”

“In a jail cell?”

“The hospital is the other alternative, if she doesn’t cooperate. This world has strong drugs…”

“You can’t do it.” Ruby was scared; she didn’t want to lose Cora.

How else could she get through to Regina? What would make her change her mind?

“Do you know how many people she’s killed?” Regina asked her. “Does she share that part of her life with you?”

“What about you? How many people have you killed?”

“She’s the one who made me this way. She forced me to become like her, just to escape the life she created.”

“She’s sorry. Give her another…”

“Will you stop saying that!”

“Only when you accept that it’s true.”

“I can’t.” Regina turned away. “And I won’t.”

Ruby reached out and put a hand on Regina’s shoulder, her superior werewolf strength helping to turn her back around. “Regina…”

Before she could finish the sentence Regina had her pinned against a tree with her magic. There was a dark look in her eyes as she glared at Ruby. Her hand, lowered by her side, held a glowing ball of magic.

Ruby struggled against the invisible restraints, her wrists beginning to hurt. “I thought you weren’t using magic.”

“I’ll do what I have to, if it protects Henry.”

“He’s not in danger.”

“My mother is in Storybrooke. No-one is safe.”

“Then why hasn’t she hurt anyone yet?”

Regina extinguished the fireball. “Why are you still arguing?”

“Because I don’t want you to…”

“To what? Warn everyone she’s here?”

“To hurt her.”

Regina laughed. “Hurt her? How could I do that? Nothing can hurt her. To get hurt, she’d have to care, to have emotions and be able to feel something…”

“She _does._ Do you think I’d lie to you and put everyone in danger? I care about Henry too, you know.”

“Then prove it.”

“How?”

Regina leant in towards her. “Come with me and tell everyone where she is. If you love her, don’t give her a chance to hurt anyone.”

“You’re stalling.”

“What?”

“If you were really so desperate to go tell everyone you’d be gone by now.”

Regina smile was a little mocking and she nodded. “Well done.”

“More magic?”

“Yes. Just seeing if I can find the spell my mother used and reverse it.”

“Any luck?”

A frown as she considered her reply. “Not yet.”

“But you still don’t believe me.”

Regina moved closer, her breath warm on Ruby’s skin. “It’s easy to love someone, but knowing they can’t love you back and denying it…”

“Are you sure? Everything she’s done suggests to me that she love you. Worrying about you and wanting to see you, even when you hurt her.”

“I? I hurt her?” Regina’s hands were pressed against the tree on either side of Ruby’s face as she spoke. “How can words hurt someone like her? If I had been trying to hurt her I would have found a more effective way than mere words.”

“You told her you wished she had died.”

“I thought she had, so I let go of my hatred and mourned. Now she’s back and so is it.”

“So you’re going to take her into town so the Dark One can kill her?”

“What other choice do I have?”

“Just let us go. I’ll talk to her, tell her I want to leave town and persuade her to return to the Enchanted Forest. If that’s what you really want. She’ll do it.”

“Why? Because of love?”

“If it’s what you really want, I think she will.”

“What if I want you to stay?”

Ruby flinched as Regina pressed soft red lips against hers.

“What about Emma?” She asked as Regina moved back.

“Emma?” Regina laughed and stroked a stray hair away from Ruby’s face. “Why should I care about her?”

“Because you love her.”

“Love her? I don’t even like her. Don’t tell me you never noticed the way I looked at you? The way I spent so much time at the diner when I could have made coffee at home or at the office. I hated spending time among the people in Storybrooke, but the diner was the only place I had an excuse to see _you_.”

“I… I didn’t realise.”

Regina watched as Ruby’s eyes widened at something behind her.

“I wondered how long it would take before you followed, mother.” Regina said without looking around.

 

Chapter 8.

 

“I’m very disappointed, Regina.” Cora’s sharp words made her daughter straighten her shoulders. “I thought you’d be in the town by now.”

“You wanted me to go?”

Cora removed Regina’s magic, releasing Ruby who came to stand by her. Regina turned to watch her as she passed.

“I wanted to see if you were foolish enough to trust Snow White again.”

“I think…”

“You know what she does, how she manipulates everyone. I hoped you would change your mind when you saw her, realise that she would betray you and try to use me to turn Henry against you. Instead here you are, trying something new.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Regina flexed her fingers, ready to defend herself.

Cora tucked her arm through Ruby’s and smiled at her daughter. “You thought that by trying to seduce Ruby away from me I would do something to prove your fears justified. I told you, I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you mother, but I’ve had a lifetime to learn better.”

“Truce.” Ruby called out suddenly removing her arm from Cora’s. “Regina I don’t care if you don’t trust your mother but the two of you need to stop and settle this like adults.”

“I beg your pardon?” Regina blinked and looked between the two women in front of her. “Since when did this become your concern?”

“When you tried to put me in the middle with that kiss.” Ruby shot back. “I understand that you’re scared but I also know that you want to believe she can change. There is a solution.”

“Really?”

“I’ve already promised…” Cora began, but Ruby stopped her.

“A contract, like the ones Gold makes so that you can’t break it.”

Cora and Regina spoke at once, echoing the others words. “If you think I’m going to trust Rumplestiltskin…”

The stopped when they realised what they were doing and Ruby shook her head.

“It doesn’t have to be Gold’s contract. Surely with your magic you can whip something up.”

“With what penalty for breaking it?”

Ruby was a little shocked. Regina appeared to be giving the suggestion serious consideration.

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

“I want your word that you won’t harm Henry. Or me. That you won’t try and make me Queen again.”

Cora nodded and a piece of paper appeared in her hands. Dark ink filled in lines with her neat writing, copying Regina’s request word for word. She looked up at her daughter.

“But I want to see you, to spend time with you. We’ve missed so many years, I just want to talk to you.”

Regina looked down at the paper. Could she stand to talk to Cora over a cup of coffee? For Henry’s sake, to keep him safe. If this wasn’t a trick…

“Fine.” She watched as the wording was added. “But if you break the contract, you forfeit all your magic and you’re banished, unable to reside in any realm where Henry or I live.”

An inkblot appeared on the paper as Cora’s hand trembled. She wasn’t sure which punishment would be worse. Ruby nudged her and whispered to remind her that she had already made the promise. Regina just waited; sure she had trapped her mother into refusing.

A minute later and the words appeared on the page. Cora handed the paper to Regina as it dried, then held Ruby’s hand for support as her daughter checked it again.

“I’ll let you cast the spell, you don’t trust me to do it.” Cora told her. “Then we’ll each sign and Ruby can witness it.”

The paper glowed purple in Regina’s hands. “Done.”

She passed her mother a pen and held the paper towards her with her magic. Cora kept hold of Ruby as she skimmed over the words and added her signature. She turned it back to Regina, who double-checked it before signing. Then it was Ruby’s turn. She didn’t bother to read it. She figured they had already wasted enough time. Regina rolled up the piece of paper, sealing it with a magical ribbon and sending it to a safe location with her magic.

“So now we can get down to making friends.” Ruby smiled cheerfully at both mother and daughter.

“Not quite.” Regina reminded her. “I only agreed to talk to her.”

“Why don’t you come back to the cabin for a drink?” Cora offered.

“I have to get back to Henry.”

“The agreement…”

“Didn’t state when I had to spend time with you. I think we’ve had enough for today.”

“Then when?”

“I’ll call.” Regina looked over at Ruby. “Do you have a phone in the cabin?”

“No, but you can ring my cell.” Ruby rattled off the number as Regina entered it into her own.

Cora held out her hands to her daughter. “I’ve missed you.”

Regina took a step back and Cora’s arms returned to her sides. Before she could say anything else, Regina teleported away.

Ruby put an arm around Cora’s shoulders. “It will be all right. You’ll see.”

Cora rested her head against Ruby’s, taking comfort in her words and desperately wanting to believe them. Ruby still had something on her mind.

“Do you think Regina was telling the truth about the kiss?”

“What do you mean?”

“If it was just to hurt you then I could still be right. She does like Emma.”

“So?”

“You said you want to help her be happy. We could help get them together.”

Cora choked back a laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not? They’d be perfect together. Henry…”

“My daughter…”

Ruby ignored the Queenly tone in her voice as she interrupted. “Might really like her…”

“But Emma is Snow White’s daughter. She’ll only hurt Regina, like her mother.”

“You don’t know her. I do, and she’s a good person.”

“How do I know that she’s good enough for my daughter?”

Ruby wrapped her arms around Cora, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Trust my judgement. Regina wants love and if I’m right, Emma is looking for the same thing. We’d be helping Regina be happy.”

Cora didn’t look convinced.

~~~~~~

Regina re-appeared back in Gold’s shop. She had teleported from there so she had to return in case anyone had noticed her absence.

“How did it go?” He asked, walking into the room, leaning on his cane.

“It worked. She signed a contract.”

“Do you need me to look it over?”

“No. I appreciate your help, but…”

He knew she didn’t trust him, but saying it out loud after he had helped her…

“I want to make sure you didn’t miss anything.”

“I did exactly as you suggested. Lured Ruby away from her; used the spell to plant the idea for the contract in a kiss. Ruby thought it was all her idea.”

“Very well. So you won’t be telling Snow White she’s here?”

Regina’s eyes darkened at the suggestion. “Why would I want to do that?”

She might not like the things her mother had done, but she hated Snow White more than anything else. Unless Henry was in danger, she would let the other woman figure out the truth for herself. Regina smiled. She hoped to see the look on her face when she discovered Ruby’s little secret.

The shop bell rang as someone opened the front door.

“I’ll let you get back to your customers.” Regina told him, quickly heading toward the exit.

Rumplestiltskin just smiled. The only thing better than knowing the future was watching it play out in front of him.

 

Chapter 9.

 

Ruby couldn’t believe that Cora was still against her brilliant idea. It was perfect. Why couldn’t she see that?

“Look at it this way, if Regina and Emma are together, Regina gets to keep Henry close.”

“If she finds out I’m meddling in her life, she’ll…”

“We’ll just have to be careful that she doesn’t find out.” Ruby smiled. “Together we can do it.”

Ruby tucked her hands into Cora’s and pulled her closer. She knew just how to persuade her.

“I need…”

Ruby cut off Cora’s words with a kiss, parting red lips with her tongue. They were back inside the cabin now, just a few feet away from the bedroom.

“Trust me.” Ruby whispered, her hands wandering to release the ties holding Cora’s dress at the back. “After all, I’ve managed to keep us a secret, haven’t I? No-one ever suspected… and with the right plan…”

The ties loosened and she tugged at the shoulders before pulled the dress down by its sleeves. Cora reached for the buttons on Ruby’s white shirt. She wanted the distraction. She didn’t want to think about her daughter just yet. After all this time apart and Ruby still tried to make her happy. It made her wish she could be a different person. She had two people to try and change for. That only seemed to make it harder.

Ruby tried grabbing her attention back with another kiss. “I have another shift at the diner tonight. You should spend some time studying this new world. I’ll show you how to use the internet before I go.”

“How long do we have?”

“Enough.” Ruby nibbled at her shoulder. “Enough for this.”

They left Cora’s dress and Ruby’s shirt in the hallway as they moved to the bedroom. Cora began unpinning her hair, letting it fall where it wanted and dropping the strips of metal on top of a set of drawers.

“We still need to come up with a plan.” Cora reminded her as she lay down on the bed. “One I agree to.”

“Don’t you think it will worth it, at least, to see the look on Snow White’s face when she realises Regina and her daughter are together?”

Cora watched Ruby remove her tiny blue shorts and lingerie as she spoke. “I don’t want Regina to think it’s some kind of trap.”

“She won’t.”

“But if you need my magic and I can’t go into town in case someone sees me…”

“You went to see Mr Gold…”

“Only because Regina…”

“We’ll think of something.”

Cora allowed Ruby to straddle her and kiss her once before grabbing her shoulders and rolling them over so she was finally on top. It wasn’t fair that Ruby’s wolf side gave her greater strength. At least she had her magic to make things even. She couldn’t imagine living in Storybrooke before Rumplestiltskin had brought back the magic.

~~~~~~

The logs on the fire spat out tiny sparks, reminding Cora of the time she had pretended to be the Blue Fairy. All that weak, silly magic from fairy dust… She reached out a hand and calmed the flames, adding more logs to the fire. The thick wool blanket covering her was tugged away by the other occupant of the bed.

Cora pulled it back with her magic.

“No fair.” Ruby complained.

“I’ve just added more logs to the fire.” Cora told her, pulling the red softness up to her chin. “And I’m older than you so you should let me have more of the blankets.”

Ruby’s leg slid against hers, as she tried to move further under the warmth. “You’re not that old.”

Cora smiled and ran her hand along Ruby’s skin, pinching her bottom when she didn’t turn around. “Yes I am.”

“Ow!” Ruby turned and pouted at her. “Share?”

“What’s the magic word?” Cora leant towards her and nibbled at Ruby’s bottom lip.

The action made it a little hard for Ruby to speak, or even think about words – magic or otherwise. Her hands wandered to Cora’s body.

“Ah, ah…” Cora stopped her, but her own hands began to move across Ruby’s hips.

“Please.” Ruby whimpered as she felt Cora’s nails scrape across her thighs, dipping in between her legs. “Oh god, please…”

“Such a good girl.” Cora told her, slightly adjusting the blankets to her advantage.

Ruby didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes closed as she felt Cora enter her, long fingers flexing against her inner walls.

“Hands above your head.” Cora whispered, keeping her fingers inside Ruby.

She obeyed, knowing Cora wouldn’t continue unless she did what she was told. Sometimes Cora would use magic to hold her hands in place, but this time she trusted Ruby to keep them there.

Cora moved her fingers slowly, feeling the warmth spread to the rest of her hand as she teased Ruby. “I finally came up with a plan.”

“A plan?” Ruby arched her hips off the bed.

“While you were at work, I had enough time to think.”

“And? Wha… ah, just there, that’s it…. Don’t stop!”

Cora smiled at how easily distracted she was, but didn’t stop moving her fingers in and out. “Yes, and it’s quite brilliant.”

“Cora…”

At the sound of her name, Cora focused on Ruby’s body. She forgot what she was saying and ran her nails gently down the soft skin of Ruby’s stomach. As Ruby clenched around her other fingers, Cora used her free hand to caress her nipples one at a time.

“You’re going to do exactly what I ask, aren’t you?” Cora whispered.

“Anything.” Ruby’s voice cracked as Cora’s fingers struggled to push in deeper.

“Good. You will use this delightful body of yours to lure someone up here to the cabin.”

“Who?”

“I don’t really care, but it should be someone gullible enough to follow you here. Then I will put a spell on them to hold them here while I take their appearance and go into the town. ”

The words had stopped making sense to Ruby. She knew Cora was talking to her, but her body was moving out of her control and the orgasm was blocking her ability to understand the words. It wouldn’t matter though. Cora had made the suggestion with her voice and with her magic, she knew Ruby would do as she asked. Even if she didn’t know why she was doing it.

Cora lay down and smoothed the blanket over her body. She always got what she wanted.

 

Chapter 10.

 

Ruby wanted to apologise as she lead the young woman through the front door of the cabin. Her eyes kept darting around for Cora as they had walked through the forest, but it seemed like she would have to bring her all the way on her own.

“Well, we’re here.” She said loudly, wondering how much the girl would remember later.

Cora’s sleeping spell struck and Ruby caught her just in time as she fell. She laid her gently on the ground and looked up as Cora entered.

“Let me see her.” Cora peered over, needing as much detail as possible for her illusion.

Ruby backed away as a cloud of magic settled over the body. She could hear the girl’s heartbeat, which was a relief. Cora had promised not to kill her, but Ruby hadn’t been sure she would remember.

“We’ll need somewhere to hide her.”

“There’s a cellar, but there isn’t much room.”

“She won’t know. I can keep her under for as long as I need and hide the area with magic.”

Cora swept her hand across her face and Ruby watched it transform. She followed with a spell to alter her clothing and looked down at the girl.

“I’ll carry her.” Ruby offered, lifting one arm and placing it around her neck. “Werewolf strength.”

Cora turned to check her appearance in a mirror. “What do you think?”

“The spell worked.”

She pouted. “Is that all you’ve got to say?”

Ruby stood slowly, carefully trying not to drop the girl. “I never doubted your magic.”

Cora frowned and turned back to her. Was she still angry about this plan? She decided to use her magic to move the girl to the cellar, leaving her alone with Ruby.

“I guess we can go then.” Ruby headed out of the room.

Cora grabbed her arm as she walked past and spun her around. “Don’t you want a kiss before we leave?”

Ruby tried to shake her off, but Cora’s nails dug into her arm. “Later.”

“No, now.” Cora told her, pulling her close.

She kissed Ruby, bringing her other arm around her back and holding her in place. It upset her that Ruby didn’t relax and return the kiss. Cora released her, and watched as Ruby wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

“What’s wrong? You’ve never avoided kissing me before.”

“I said not now.”

“Having a change of heart about helping me?”

“No.”

Cora was pleased. She could tell Ruby wasn’t lying to her. It was just strange the distance she was keeping from her.

“Was there a reason you brought that particular girl here?” She asked, wondering if Ruby was trying to avoid an attraction to her.

“You said to find someone naïve.”

“Is that all?”

“I thought you’d appreciate her appearance.”

“Really? You think she is beautiful?”

Ruby sighed. “Is this what that kiss was about? Cora, I love _you_. You and no-one else. I think you’re beautiful. You don’t need to be jealous. I don’t want to kiss you until you look like you again, okay?”

Cora smiled at her words. Knowing that it used a lot of magic to make the transformations, she removed the illusion spell and returned her appearance.

“Better?”

Ruby nodded, looking a little relieved, and inched slowly towards her. “I’m sorry, I guess it’s a wolf-thing. Human me knows it’s you, but…”

Cora stroked a hand through her hair, shushing her. “It’s alright. I love both sides of you, I understand. If you want to stay here while I go into town, you can watch the girl.”

Ruby rubbed her cheek against Cora’s, breathing in the scent that made her think of home. “I can do this. Just, not the kissing…”

“What about now? Before I change back?” Cora teased.

Using the wolf’s lightning-quick reflexes, Ruby put her hands on Cora’s waist and moved their bodies closer. She captured the older woman’s lips with her own to show her just how much she wanted her.

~~~~~~

Cora tried not to stare as she walked through the town. Everything was so strange. She had seen it from a distance when she first arrived with Hook, but that had been at night. Even having Ruby at her side, dressed in this lands fashions threw her off a little. Very little of Ruby’s time in the cabin had left her fully clothed.

“Where are we?” Cora whispered, wanting to stop and double-check exactly what had been on display in the last window.

“Just coming up to the diner.” Ruby told her. “Mr Gold’s shop… Rumplestilskin’s, is on the corner.”

Of course, Cora already knew that.

“You certainly picked well.” Cora complimented her, admiring her new body in reflection of the shop glass they passed. “I just wish you’d let me change the clothes to something more suitable.”

“You’re supposed to be blending in.”

In truth, Ruby wasn’t really comfortable with this plan. She wasn’t worried about their “victim”, she knew the young girl was safe back at the cabin, but Blue and Rumplestiltskin both had magic and if they could see through Cora’s disguise… it didn’t bear thinking about.

“Will Regina be able to tell…”

“No.” Cora sounded confident. “Now, I want to get a better look at Snow White.”

“Why?”

“She’s the person Regina hates the most.”

“So?”

“So, she’ll help me win Regina back.”

“What about Emma? I thought we were going to set them up together?”

“We can do that as well.”

Ruby held the diner door open for her. Cora waltzed inside as though she had been there before and immediately sat down at the counter. She smiled as Dr. Whale caught sight of her and made a move to come over. Here was her first real test.

“Lovely ladies, what a pleasure to see you.” He began.

“Not now.” Ruby dismissed him with a wave of her hands.

“Oh, but…”

Ruby glared at him until he backed away, hands up in surrender. She took a seat next to Cora and passed her a menu.

“What was that for?” Cora whispered, opening the menu and eyeing the strange food on offer.

“I guess my wolf side has territory issues.”

“I’m not a piece of meat, dear. I can protect myself and I assure you that you have no reason for concern regarding that man.”

“So you can be jealous, but I can’t?” Ruby gave her a half-smile, pointing at something on the menu as an excuse to brush her hand against Cora’s.

Cora snapped the menu shut, raising an eyebrow. “We’re trying to behave normally, remember?”

Ruby looked down at the counter. “Sorry.”

“What can I get you today?” A waitress came to stand behind the counter, smiling at their familiar faces.

“Has Sno…”

“Mary Margaret been in today?” Ruby quickly interrupted, hoping no one would notice the slip-up.

The smile didn’t falter as the waitress gave the question some thought. “Not yet, I think she’s picking up her lunch order soon. Sounds like she’s taking her family on a picnic and Granny is making their favourite sandwiches.”

“How lovely.” Cora smiled back at her.

“She’s really excited about getting to know Emma and Henry, though of course it must be strange for her having Emma fully grown now.”

“Of course. Did they say where they would be going?”

Ruby elbowed Cora, out of sight of the waitress, then quickly covered with: “I had some things I wanted to run by Emma, I’m sure they won’t mind…”

The waitress laughed. “You’re practically like family to them, of course they won’t. Why don’t you wait around for them to get the sandwiches…”

“Good idea.” Cora thanked her. “Perhaps we should order something while we wait?”

“We’ll grab a table.” Ruby slid off the stool and waited for Cora to follow her, a little worried that she could mispronounce something. “Could you bring over two coffee’s please?”

Cora just smiled and carried the menu over as she trailed behind Ruby. Everything in this world was so bright it was making her feel a little giddy. She wanted to know what a hamburger was, and fries. There was also a bright pink drink on one of the tables, with a little stick stuck in the glass. What did that taste like?

 

Chapter 11.

 

They waited twenty minutes. Cora had been looking out of the window the whole time, watching the people walk past.

“How much longer do you think they’ll be?” She asked.

“Let’s just order lunch, and try to act a little more casual.” Ruby begged her.

Smiling innocently, Cora picked up her cup and at the same time reached out her foot to rub her shoe against Ruby’s leg. The younger woman jumped at the contact and Cora smirked as she took a sip of coffee.

“What was that for?” Ruby hissed under her breath.

“I’m bored.” Cora told her.

As Cora hadn’t shown this reaction to caffeine before, Ruby assumed she was just nervous about running into Regina. Of course, they had spent a lot of time alone in the cabin since her return….

“Do you think they’ve invited Regina on the picnic?”

Ruby frowned. “That isn’t something the _new you_ would ask.”

“Maybe we should wander by and check in on her.”

“She said she’d call…”

“It’s been too long. I don’t think she’s going to keep to her side of the agreement.”

“She will. She doesn’t want anything to happen to Henry.”

Cora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve changed. You know I have.”

Ruby smiled. “Play nice and we’ll show Regina that.”

Sighing, Cora picked up a spoon and stirred her coffee. “What time…”

“There she is!” Ruby exclaimed, catching sight of the familiar figures outside the window.

“Where?” Cora looked up quickly, but Snow had already passed in front of the doors.

She heard the little bell jingle as she entered and followed her progress to the counter. The waitress went to get her order while Snow stopped to talk to those in the diner.

“You should go talk to her.” Cora reminded Ruby. “You told the waitress…”

“That I wanted to talk to _Emma_ … Fine, I’ll go ask when they’ll be back.”

Cora smiled and watched Ruby interact with her daughter’s enemy, picking up a packet of sugar to add to her coffee. She remembered facing Snow when she returned to the Enchanted Forest. The girl might have grown up, but she was just as naïve as ever. It would be fun pairing Emma with Regina. She hoped Snow reacted badly, then she could tear Emma away from her the same way Snow had torn Regina away from her.

Cora didn’t realise she was still holding the sugar packet. Now it was all crumpled in her hand and there was sugar on the table in front of her. She tossed the packet down and brushed her hands over the mess. Let the waitress clean it up. That was what servants were for, after all.

~~~~~~

After the diner, where they had found out Emma wouldn’t be back until the afternoon, Ruby took Cora for a walk down to the harbour. Cora had told her she had cloaked Hooks ship and Ruby wanted to see it for herself.

“So, did you see what you wanted?” Ruby asked stepping onto the invisible stair.

“Oh yes. Snow White is happy. She feels safe, secure in this new land.”

Ruby held out a hand to help Cora onto the deck. “What are you going to do to her?”

“What makes you think _I’m_ going to do anything? We’re following your plan to get Regina and Emma together.”

Ruby didn’t look convinced, but she followed Cora around the ship. The pirate wasn’t on board, but Cora didn’t let it bother her. If he wanted to get caught, that was his problem. Of course, if he revealed that she had travelled here with him she would rip his heart out and impale it on his hook. It was a relief to finally remove her spell and regain her own appearance.

“Is it supposed to move this much?” Ruby asked as they entered one of the cabins, having never been on a boat before.

“I thought only cats hated water?”

“I love water, just only when it’s contained like in a bath or shower. Are you sure it won’t sink?”

Cora laughed. “I can’t swim, but I’m not afraid.”

“Oh, I can swim.” Ruby assured her. “But if this collapses on us it would make it harder and the sea has all those currents to pull you under.”

“I thought you were my brave little wolf?” Cora ran a hand down her cheek. “Not scared of anything.”

“Maybe if you distracted me?” Ruby suggested, licking her bottom lip.

“What did you have in mind?” Cora traced her fingers along Ruby’s pale neck, then down to her red-checked shirt.

She hooked her finger over the parting, wondering how delicate the buttons were. If she tugged… Ruby pulled away quickly, nostrils flaring.

“Oh don’t stop on my account.”

At Hook’s cheery voice, Cora spun around looking irritated. The pirate was leaning against the doorframe grinning at her.

“Where were you?” She spat out, stepping away from Ruby.

Hook rolled his eyes. “Getting some fresh air. I don’t like to be cooped up too long. Anyway, I should be asking where have you been?”

“I contacted you on the mirrors, explaining that I would be away for a while.”

His eyes flicked back to Ruby. “Did you bring me a gift?”

Cora wanted to fling him against the side of the cabin with her magic and make the wood come alive to hold him there. Instead, she smiled at him.

“Hands off, of rather, hook off. She’s mine and if you touch her…”

“Oooh, Cora…”

“Stow it, Hook.” Ruby interrupted, crossing her arms.

“Feisty. I like…”

“Enough.” Cora waved her hand and cut off his words with magic. “Listen to me, I brought Ruby here to tell you about Gold’s life in this new world. Then, I need your help.”

“Can’t we just kill him and get it over with?”

“Only if you have the one thing which can kill him. As neither of us knows where that is, we have to plan. I know patience isn’t a pirate’s strong point…”

He mumbled something behind the magic, and she removed the spell hoping he had learnt his lesson.

“Go ahead. I’m listening.” He said, settling down on one of the beds.

Cora perched on the edge of one opposite him and Ruby came to sit next to her. “Tell him, dear.”

She patted her hand in encouragement, seeing the look in Hook’s eyes as Ruby began to speak.

 

Chapter 12.

 

“Do you think he’ll succeed?” Ruby asked when Cora finally returned them to the cabin.

The old woman shrugged. “Who cares? As long as Rumple never finds out that we helped him…”

“Would Hook tell him?”

“Not voluntarily, unless it served his own purpose, but he holds nothing dearer than killing the imp. If he tries… lets just say I have put my own magic on him to protect us.”

Ruby decided she didn’t want to know.

“As long as he is keeping Rumple busy…” Cora wrapped her arms around Ruby’s waist. “That gives us time alone together. What do you think we should do?”

“Can we let the girl go now? You’ve used her appearance to go into town and your sleeping spell will wear off soon…”

Cora released her hold and frowned. “I may need to use her again.”

“Then I’ll bring her back here.”

“You don’t trust me anymore.”

“Of course I do.”

“I promised not to harm her.”

“Cora…”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“No.”

“Then why do you care so much about her?”

“I don’t. I care about you, and only you.”

Cora watched Ruby step towards her again. “Really?”

Ruby brought her hand up to cup the side of Cora’s face. “You know I do.”

“Show me?” Cora ran her tongue along her lower lip, waiting for Ruby to make the next move.

She wasn’t disappointed. Ruby’s hands moved around to the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss. Cora pressed forward, taking control and moving her hands to transport them into the bedroom. Ruby gently tugged at the clasps holding Cora’s hair up in curls, and let it fall to her shoulders.

“You should wear your hair down more often.” She suggested, curling one strand around her fingers.

“Are you really going to focus on my hair right now?” Cora asked, stepping back and removing her clothes.

Ruby watched her sit on the edge of the bed, taking in the view of her body and smiled. “I am your to command.”

“Strip.” Cora purred to her.

Ruby gave a coy smile and slowly moved one hand to the top button on her shirt. Keeping eye contact with Cora, she undid it and moved to the next. When all the buttons were free, she slipped the shirt over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She removed the rest of her clothes just as slowly, until she finally stood naked in front of Cora.

“Now, come here.” Cora crooked her finger and called Ruby to her, parting her legs for the younger woman to stand between them.

Ruby’s hair fell forward, mixing with Cora’s as she bent down to kiss her. Cora’s fingers played across her stomach, moving up to cup her breasts as she stood there. Ruby pushed her gently back on the bed until she was lying down. She began kissing down her chest and past her stomach. Cora’s hands reached out to tangle in her hair as her mouth descended further. At Ruby’s first lick, Cora moaned. The sound excited her. Ruby stroked along the folds with her tongue over and over trying to get her to repeat it. The more she tasted Cora, the more she wanted her.

“Faster.” Cora told her.

Ruby obeyed, swirling her tongue around and sucking on Cora’s clit. Cora tightened her hands on Ruby’s hair, eyes closed. It wasn’t long before her body shook and her hands released their grip. Ruby gave her one last lick as her body relaxed.

~~~~~~

The Charming picnic party was over. Ruby watched them climb out of Emma’s car and head into their home. Cora had wanted to come back into town with her, but before they could leave she had received a call from Regina. Her daughter was finally ready to speak with her. So Ruby gave them the privacy of the cabin and escorted their temporary prisoner back to town. Cora assured her that the spell would wear off before she reached the edge of the forest; she didn’t want Regina to sense the magic holding her captive. Ruby had seen the girl home, acting as though nothing was wrong. The girl didn’t question the missing time as they walked past the clock tower. Ruby hoped that was an intentional part of Cora’s spell and not a side effect of the magic.

Snow looked over and waved at her. Ruby held up her own hand and began walking towards the family.

“Good picnic?” She asked casually.

“Yes. Henry wanted me to teach him archery, and Emma was trying to persuade David to have a little of her cinnamon hot chocolate… we took the thermos’s.”

“Not quite the same as an Enchanted Forest picnic, then.” She joked.

“The ants were just as hungry.” Snow laughed. “I’m not sure Emma is really used to the outdoors life.”

“It must have been nice having the whole family together again.”

“Oh yes. It makes me realise how much we’ve missed.”

David finished carrying the blankets and cool box up to the apartment and returned to see what was keeping his wife. “Hey Rubes. You missed a great picnic.”

“Maybe next time.”

“You should have a girls night out soon. Take Emma with you and I’ll watch Henry, what do you say?”

Ruby looked at Snow. “I’m up for that. You?”

“I’d love to.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“I’ll check with Emma, but yes. Meet at the Rabbit Hole?”

“Usual time.” Ruby turned to leave, then looked back as she thought of something. “Do you think we should invite anyone else? Make it a girls night on the town.”

“I can see if Ashley’s free.”

Ruby nodded, not daring to voice her suggestion. Maybe there would be another way to get Regina and Emma to spend more time together.

~~~~~~

Regina was purposefully slouching in her chair. She knew how much it irritated her mother. That was also why she was wearing her most casual clothes. Cora bit her tongue and didn’t say anything. They had spent the first five minutes sipping the coffee she had poured for them, without speaking.

“So how long have you been bedding the little wolf?” Regina asked, resting the cup on the low table.

Cora’s eyes flashed with anger, but she controlled her temper. “My relationship with Red… Ruby, began long before your curse.”

“While you were still married to father?”

“When you were still Queen.”

“Does she understand that you’re just using her?”

Cora laughed. “What would I use her for? She has no social standing, no power or influence.”

“For her connection to Snow, or for her youthful body, I don’t really care. I’m just curious.”

“Jealous?”

“I was stuck in a town with her for twenty-eight years, where she would forget what had happened from one day to the next. I’m surprised you haven’t asked if you should be jealous.”

“I understand that she isn’t your type.”

“No-one could replace Daniel.”

“Not even… Emma?”

“No-one.” Regina stared at the window, refusing to listen to her mother’s words.

“You’re not tempted? To use her to get back at Snow White?”

“It would only hurt my relationship with Henry.”

“How is that going? Does he still call you mommy?”

“I won’t talk about him with you. If you want me to stay, you’ll have to change the subject.”

“I want to hear about your life.”

“I spent twenty-eight years living the same days over and over again. Except for the last decade, it wasn’t that exciting.”

“Give me something. We used to be so close, you were my little girl…”

“We were never close. I feared you and your magic, using it on me for the slightest mistake.”

“Your father spoilt you. He would have let you run wild, instead of raising you properly. I didn’t realise it until it was nearly too late.”

“He _loved_ me.”

“Well you certainly repaid him for that love.”

Regina stood and picked up her handbag.

“I’m sorry.” Cora quickly backtracked. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I was jealous. I thought you loved him more than me.”

“I loved you both. I knew he loved me in return, but you made me struggle for even a smile.”

“I’m here now and I want to change that. I know I don’t deserve a second chance…”

“You don’t.”

“You’re all I have left, and I…I do love you, Regina.”

Regina waited for critical words to follow, some small thing her mother wanted her to change before she could mean those four little letters. Cora attempted a smile and held out her arms.

Regina shook her head. “Not yet. I want to believe you, but…”

“You need to see that I’ve changed. Perhaps with more time together…”

“I’ll call you.”

Cora let her leave. It was a small first step. She just hoped it would lead to another, then another. One day, she would have her daughter back.

 

Chapter 13.

 

“Disguise yourself and come into town.” Ruby begged Cora as she cooked them dinner.

“I thought you didn’t like me to do that.”

“I promised Snow we’d have a girls night out. Emma will be there…”

“Maybe I should go as Regina. Stir things up a little, see if the attraction is a two-way thing.”

Ruby laughed. “That would work right up to the point where Emma asks the real Regina something about it. Maybe just befriend her and get her talking. The more you know about her the better the plan will be.”

“How is the sauce coming?” Cora stepped up behind her, wrapping her hands around Ruby’s waist and resting her chin on the younger woman’s shoulder.

“Nearly ready.”

“I could get used to this.”

“What?”

“Watching you cook.”

“I did offered back in the Enchanted Forest, but you were so set on using your magic for everything.”

“I didn’t realise how sexy you looked in an apron.” She took Ruby’s ear lobe into her mouth and sucked gently.

Ruby sighed and pressed back into her. “I thought I should wear something when cooking, just in case the sauce spits from the pan.”

Cora was suddenly regretting her decision to put her clothes back on before heading into the kitchen. She kissed along Ruby’s jaw, the younger woman turning her head to accommodate her.

“What about the food?” Ruby asked as Cora’s hands slipped under the apron.

Cora continued to kiss along her skin, her fingers snaking up to brush against Ruby’s breasts. “My magic will take care of it.”

Ruby felt the spoon tugged from her hand and watched it stir the sauce on its own. She turned to face Cora, wrapping her arms around the older woman’s neck. In a few small steps Ruby had her backed up against the cupboards.

“Kiss me.” She demanded, her lips hovering just out of Cora’s reach.

Cora’s hands were still under the apron, her thumbs lazily circling Ruby’s nipples, but she didn’t lean forward. Instead, she abandoned Ruby’s breasts for a more sensitive area lower down. Only when Ruby’s eyes closed did she kiss her, turning them around.

Slowly, she lowered herself to her knees and raised Ruby’s apron. Her nails scraped teasingly down Ruby’s thighs, inviting her to open her legs wider. As the flesh returned to its normal colour, she ran her tongue along Ruby’s left inner thigh, up over her hips and across to her stomach before training back down the other side.

“Please…” Ruby begged, her hands grasping for Cora’s hair.

She gently brushed her fingers through her soft hair, dislodging the grips holding it up. As Cora’s hair fell past her shoulders, she leant forward, capturing Ruby’s clit and grazing it with her teeth. As Ruby’s moaned, she began alternating between sucking and licking along her folds, already wet and eager for her.

Thoughts of dinner fled from Ruby’s head as Cora’s expert tongue made quick work of her desire. She kept her fingers resting in Cora’s hair as her back arched against the cupboards.

The orgasm, when it came, had her calling Cora’s name over and over. When she tried to remove Cora’s clothes afterwards, the older woman pointed out that the dinner was almost ready so they sat down to eat.

~~~~~~

Cora watched Ruby getting ready for her night out, trying to persuade her to choose the more conservative outfits.

“They’ll get suspicious if I wear that!” Ruby laughed at the knee-length skirt Cora had conjured up.

“I saw this in the window of one of the shops in town. It is in fashion.”

“Oh sure, for anyone over a hundred.”

Cora frowned. “At least button up your top a little more.”

Ruby looked down. “This is how I usually wear it.”

“That was fine for then, but now…” Cora moved towards her, vanishing the knee-length skirt. “…you remember us and I don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression.”

“If they do, I can handle them. Part-wolf remember? That means I’m really strong.”

Cora frowned. “Don’t leave me here alone too long. Without the girl here I don’t have a disguise to allow me to wander into town and make sure you’re okay.”

“We’re just going for a few drinks.” Ruby assured her, putting a hand on her arm. “No-one knows everyone else really, and most of them will be too drunk to realise you’re a stranger. Just alter your appearance slightly and come with me now.”

“What if you get drunk and tell someone the truth?”

“I won’t be drinking much, remember. This is a reconnaissance mission. Of course, I might have trouble keeping my hands to myself if you’re there.”

Cora smiled and pulled her closer for a kiss. “Flattering me?”

Ruby ran a tongue along her bottom lip. “It’s true.”

“Then you’d better hurry back and prove it to me.” Cora removed her dress. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Ruby’s pupil’s dilated as she watched Cora strip and head over to the bed. As Cora climbed under the covers, Ruby moved to follow her.

“Uh, uh.” Cora smirked and held up a hand, placing an invisible shield around the bed. “Not until you return.”

“Damn. Come on …”

“No. I want to know that you are thinking of me when you’re surrounded by those idiots in the bar and that you’re getting the information as fast as you can so that you will come back before I go to sleep.”

“You wouldn’t…”

Cora pretended to yawn. “It’s been such a long day and I’m getting old…”

“ _Never_. But, you wouldn’t really…?”

Looking at Cora’s smile, Ruby swore and looked for her shoes. She slipped them on and ran to the door, looking back in on the bedroom once more before she left.

“…” She couldn’t speak as she pictured Cora’s naked body under the covers.

“Go.” Cora whispered with a little wave.

Ruby fled.

 

Chapter 14.

 

Cora was staring out of the window when Ruby returned. The dark forest reminded her of home and she had wrapped a dressing gown around herself to watch the shadows of the night moving about.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Cora’s shoulders, kissing the top of her head as she looked outside. “I love it here.”

Cora could smell the alcohol, but she wasn’t sure if it was from Ruby’s breath or just her clothes. “It’s not home, though.”

“You want to go back?”

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“…I don’t know.” She confessed. “Here I’m just Ruby. People know I’m a werewolf but they aren’t scared when they see me.”

Cora leant back into Ruby. “Us being together would scare them. They’d think I was trying to turn you evil like I did to Regina.”

“You didn’t make Regina do bad things… don’t forget Gold had his own plans there, he showed Regina the path and she took it. Maybe using the dark magic he taught her was to blame as well…”

“If I hadn’t killed Daniel…”

Ruby kissed her again. “We can’t live in the past.”

“It’s why Regina hates me. If I could find a way to go back and change it…”

“We might not have met. Regina wouldn’t have Henry. Do you think she would want you to?”

Cora sighed. “I don’t know.”

“The talk didn’t go well?” She hadn’t liked to ask before and Cora hadn’t brought it up.

“She said she’d call, but I said some things I didn’t mean to.” Cora winced as she remembered. “I brought up her father’s death. I told her I loved her…”

“We’ll just have to be patient.”

“We?”

“Yes, I’m here for you. Together we’ll make her see how much you’ve changed. All she needs is to find her happy ending.” Ruby smiled. “With Emma.”

“There’s only one problem with a happy ending.”

“What’s that?”

“The only ending to life is death. I never liked the sound of a ‘happy ending’. It always sounded like true happiness would come too late, on the edge of dying.”

“Okay, time to come away from the window.” Ruby pulled away from her. “Staring out at the darkness always makes you gloomy.”

Cora turned, standing from the chair and reaching for Ruby’s arms. “Don’t you worry that by staying with me you’re missing out on your own chance at happiness?”

“But I am happy.” Ruby told her.

Cora’s hands dropped to Ruby’s wrists. “I mean really happy, with someone who doesn’t have to hide in the woods because of the things she has done.”

“I’m a werewolf remember? I love the woods.”

“I’m being serious!”

“I know.” Ruby turned her wrists so that she could mirror Cora’s hold. “I love you and I’m not afraid to walk into town right now with you at my side, showing everyone that we’re together.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. They’d jump to the same conclusion as Regina, that I have you under some kind of spell, and try to kill me.”

“I’ll protect you. Then we can get Gold or Regina to prove to them that I really do love you, all by myself.”

“They’d never believe it.”

“If they don’t, we’ll just leave and find somewhere we can be together. Don’t you want that?”

“Yes.”

Ruby smiled. “Good.”

“But we won’t tell anyone until after Regina...”

“I know.” Ruby raised Cora’s hand to her lips.

Cora’s mood shifted suddenly, and she smiled at Ruby in way that sent a delightful thrill down the wolf-girl’s spine. Taking a step back, she allowed the dressing gown to slip over her shoulders and fall to the floor.

“I kept my promise to wait for you.”

Grinning, Ruby told her, “I ran all the way here.”

Cora laughed. “Then allow me…” she used her magic to remove Ruby’s clothes, “and we can talk about your evening tomorrow.”

Ruby closed the gap between them, lifting Cora into her arms and carrying her towards the bed. She loved her wolf-strength. Cora combed her fingers through the dark strands of Ruby’s hair hanging over her chest. She studied the red streaks, wondering if they were a permanent colour. There was something about them that she liked.

Ruby laid her gently on the bed, ensuring Cora’s head was comfortably placed on a pillow. She positioned herself above Cora, taking her time to look into her eyes. The lust in them fuelled her own desire, and she kissed her. As her tongue tasted Cora’s lips, Ruby lowered her upper body rubbing their breasts together and slipping a knee between Cora’s legs. Cora arched her back as she felt Ruby’s knee press against her folds. The friction of the movement made her loose concentration on Ruby’s attention to her mouth. She purposefully repeated the action again.

Ruby laughed softly through the kiss as she realised Cora’s intention. “Very well. Close your eyes.”

Cora rarely closed her eyes during their couplings, but this time she didn’t hesitate. Ruby quickly rewarded her, replacing her knee with her fingers. Cora dared to half-open one eye and smiled when she saw that Ruby’s own eyes were closed. She quickly lowered hers again and pictured them back in their old home, in their own bed.

~~~~~~

When Cora woke, she could feel Ruby’s body tucked against her back. The younger woman’s arm was low around her waist and Ruby’s feet twitched against hers as she slept on. Cora slowed her own breathing to match Ruby’s, not wanting to wake her. She had never allowed Henry this close to her. She had never needed his comfort or affection, but she liked the way Ruby’s arms felt around her.

“Good morning.” Ruby kissed her shoulder, but Cora didn’t turn around.

“How do you always know when I’m awake?”

“You try too hard to breathe normally. It makes your heart beat differently.”

“What time do you have to be at work today?”

That was another thing not to like about this new world. She had decided Ruby having to leave and go to work when she wanted her to stay, was unacceptable. When she reminded Ruby that she could provide for them with her magic, Ruby pointed out that she needed to continue working at the diner to keep up appearances.

“Granny wants me to cover the lunch shift. Why?”

“I want you to introduce me to Emma.”

“What?” Ruby shifted backwards on the bed.

Cora sighed, rolling over to face her. “Not as myself, obviously. I will be in disguise.”

“But…”

“It’s time. I need to get things started between her and Regina. Being in love always made Regina happy and once she allows her heart to open for Emma, she’ll begin to forgive me.”

“What are you going to say to Emma?”

“Nothing. You’re going to ask her how she feels about Regina. I’m going to use magic to see if she’s telling the truth. Don’t worry, she won’t know what I’m doing.”

“What if…”

“Trust me.”

Ruby stared at Cora’s stubborn, sexy pout and surrendered. “And then…?”

“Then I’ll use a little spell so that she remembers each time she saw Regina and was attracted to her. Once we’ve made her think about Regina, you can nudge her towards doing something about it.”

“Why does she need to see you? I could go alone and you could hide nearby to cast your spell.”

“Because she is going to see us _together_.” Cora explained. “Then she’ll know she can trust you with her feelings.”

“Oh.” Ruby thought about that for a moment, and then frowned. “Who are you going to look like?”

Cora smiled at her and stroked her fingers along Ruby’s arm. “Don’t worry, I’ve been working on adjusting the spell so that you can still see the real me.”

“Okay.” Ruby reached up to halt Cora’s hand, before releasing it. “But why don’t I bring Emma out here after my shift. Not here at the cabin…we can go for a walk in the woods. I can tell her I need to talk to her in private and you can meet us. That way fewer people will see your disguise.”

“Brains as well as beauty. How did I get so lucky?” Cora asked, cupping the side of Ruby’s face with her hand.

Ruby blushed and Cora took advantage of the moment to move in to kiss her. They had plenty of time before Ruby’s shift began and she felt well-rested after sleeping.

 

Chapter 15.

 

“You’re stalling.” Emma teased Ruby as they strolled along the path in the woods.

Emma tried not to think of Ruby’s fairy tale. If it had been true, she would have worried that the other girl was the wolf and she was Little Red Riding Hood. When Ruby had invited her for a walk she had assumed it was to talk about something important, but so far they had only discussed the usual subjects.

“I think we’re far enough away that Granny can’t hear us. You can say whatever you want.” Emma encouraged her.

Ruby looked around, wondering how much longer Cora would take to find them. “I wanted to ask you…”

“Ruby!”

Ruby took a step away from Emma at Cora’s voice. She was glad that she could see through Cora’s disguise, otherwise accepting the kiss from the other woman would have felt awkward in front of Emma. Cora kept a possessive arm around Ruby as she turned to look at the blonde. She wasn’t overly impressed with Regina’s crush. There was no denying the girl’s attractiveness of course, but her taste in clothes left a lot to be desired. Hopefully Regina would be able to help her there.

“Emma, this is… my girlfriend.” Ruby suddenly realised they hadn’t planned a false name for Cora.

Emma stared for a second, before smiling politely and holding out her hand to Cora. “Nice to meet you.”

Cora returned the smile and they shook hands. She could sense Emma’s magic and her fingers itched at the goodness radiating from her heart. Emma really was the child of True Love, just as the rumours suggested.

Emma looked back at Ruby, raising an eyebrow questioningly. “Is this why you brought me all the way out here? I don’t think Granny…”

“I wanted to meet you.” Cora interrupted, aware of Emma’s supposed talent for spotting lies.

“You did?”

“Ruby’s told me all about you. I hope you don’t mind,” Cora’s magic spun around them, invisible, as she placed her truth spell over Emma.

She nudged Ruby to indicate it was time to question her about Regina. Even though she knew Ruby felt uncomfortable, it was the only way.

“How are things going with Regina?”

Emma shrugged. “Okay, I guess. So, how did you two meet? Did you know each other back in the other world?”

“Yes, we met while Regina was Queen.”

Cora quickly returned Emma’s question with her own, trying to get her to open up a little more about her feelings. She gauged Emma’s reaction to the idea of two women in love with each other, but Emma acted as though such things were more open and accepted in this world than they had been in the Enchanted Forest. Every question about Regina was answered vaguely and Ruby soon realised it was making Emma suspicious. In the end, she blurted out the question Cora was dancing around.

“You like Regina, don’t you?”

Emma opened her mouth and closed it again, without saying anything. Ruby waited.

“I…”

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone.”

“How did you know?”

Ruby just smiled and tucked her arm through Emma’s. Cora nodded, satisfied and began walking away.

“Where are you going?” Emma called after her.

“I thought you might prefer some privacy.”

“You can stay, if you won’t tell anyone.”

“I can keep a secret.” Cora promised.

“Okay.” Emma bit her bottom lip and began walking into the forest as she finally spoke about her feelings for the mayor.

~~~~~~

Cora’s eyes were shining as she waited for Ruby to unlock the cabin door. She couldn’t believe how much the Swan-girl had opened up to them. When she had suggested that Regina might feel the same way, Emma had laughed. It was going to be so much fun getting them together. Emma didn’t seem too keen on discussing her feelings with her parents, and Cora wondered how close she was to them.

She shed the glamour as she went inside and removed her jacket. “Well that was a great success.”

“You did very well, I don’t think she suspected anything.”

“Now that she trusts you with her secret, you can nudge her towards Regina.”

“While you nudge Regina towards her?” Ruby asked, running her fingers down Cora’s arm.

Cora smiled and leant into her touch. “My daughter would never take advice directly from me. I may have to subtly suggest that nothing could ever happen between her and Emma. Perhaps reminding her that Snow White is her mother…”

“What if she accepts her feelings but is too scared to do anything about them?”

“Then we get Emma to make the first move.” Cora told her, reaching out for the back of Ruby’s neck and pulling her into a kiss. “After all, you can be very persuasive.”

“Really?” Ruby wrapped her arms around Cora’s waist.

“Don’t you remember that time in the woods…”

Ruby grinned. “Which one?”

“You suggested bathing in the pool of water, even though you knew the woodcutter lived nearby.”

“He never saw us.”

“No, but his wife did.”

“I didn’t realise.”

“She was going to tell on us. I took care of it.”

“How?”

Cora gave her a look, as if to ask ‘ _how else’_? “Magic.”

“Did you take her heart?”

“No. I altered her memories, so that she thought she had only seen one woman bathing.”

“You did?”

Cora raised an eyebrow and took a step back from Ruby. “Don’t you believe me?”

“Of course.” Ruby tried to convince her by adjusting her hold on Cora’s hips, but the older woman used her hands to push Ruby’s away.

“No, you don’t.” Cora assessed her reaction. “You think the same way Regina does, that I would still do something like that.”

“Cora…”

“I’m surprised, I thought you knew I’ve changed.”

“You have, I know you…”

“Even after you found out who I was, after I told you everything I had done, you accepted me. You let me into your bed, into your life the same as before. Why?”

“You’re asking me now?”

“You’re supposed to be good, you…”

“We all have darkness within us.” Ruby reminded her.

“I’ve been trying to fight mine, for Regina, for… you…”

“I know. You’re trying to be a better person and I love you so much…”

“But you still think I’m capable of tearing out hearts that way.”

“It was a long time ago, we’d only just met. I never asked you to tell me everything, and you never mentioned the woman or using magic on her so… I just thought you kept it from me because you were ashamed of using dark magic…”

“So I’m supposed to tell you about every little spell?”

“You’re twisting my words!”

“I just want to know where I stand. What if I had taken that woman’s heart? Should I ask your forgiveness? Would you hate me for it?”

“But you didn’t. When we met we agreed to a clean slate. We’d both done things… hurt those we cared about. I had already killed two people.”

“Not on purpose.”

“Their blood was still on my hands.”

“That doesn’t make us the same…”

“Maybe not, but you regretted hurting Regina. I could see you wanted to make things right. That isn’t easy, but I had faith in you.”

“Why? After I told you the truth, you should have run away.”

“It was too late.” Ruby smiled. “I was already falling in love with you.”

 

Chapter 16.

_Flashback._

_There were two places set at the table. Cora had made a special effort to cook the dinner just the way Red liked it, leaving her meat a little raw on the inside and using her magic to ensure her own was well done. Red had gone to the marketplace. It was the first time she had left Cora since they slept together and she was due back soon. Cora was trying to keep busy to pass the time. She had been surprised how much she missed the younger woman. Repairing the cloak had just given Red the freedom to leave her. She was hoping that she would return._

_There was so much to tell her. Admitting that she was still married would be a start. Then moving on to her daughter and brief reign over Wonderland could follow. If Red wasn’t running now, she would be by morning._

_“Well, well. Look at you dearie.”_

_Cora turned with a smile ready for the Dark One. She knew he had helped Regina send her through the mirror and that he was teaching her daughter magic. Still, she remembered how she had bested him with his famous deals all those years ago._

_“How do I look, Rumplestiltskin?” She asked, glad she had already dressed for Red’s return._

_A look of something almost human crossed his face, before his court jester mask covered it. “As you ever did. Magic, I assume?”_

_“Peaceful living.”_

_“How is isolation? Are you planning to reconnect with your darling daughter?”_

_“I don’t think Regina is ready to see me just yet. I intend to give her a little more time, and then, when she needs me, I will be there for her again.”_

_Rumplestiltskin walked towards her, looking interestedly at the table. “Two places? Expecting visitors? I really can’t stay for dinner…”_

_“I wasn’t going to ask you.”_

_“Then who?”_

_“Don’t you know?”_

_“I know everything.” He smiled. “But whether she’ll return to you…”_

_“I gave you my heart, I had hoped that meant you wouldn’t play these games with me. Unless you’re jealous…”_

_“A heart in a box isn’t really a heart.”_

_“Why did you come here?”_

_“To ensure that you were sufficiently occupied and not interested in interrupting my plans.”_

_“You never shared your plans with me before…”_

_“Stay here, Cora. It’s much safer this way, trust me.”_

_She frowned. “What are you up to?”_

_“Watch it dearie, we don’t want too many wrinkles marring that lovely face now do we?” He skipped away from the table, back to the other side of the room to look out of a window. “Smile. Your little wolfie returns.”_

_“Don’t call her that.”_

_Rumplestiltskin laughed and teleported himself away, just as Red opened the front door._

~~~~~~

_“Dinner was lovely. Thank you.” Red laid the cutlery on her plate as she had seen Cora doing and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin._

_At first she had felt so overwhelmed staying in this place, but Cora made her feel at ease. She was never made to feel like a peasant dining with royalty. Cora never corrected her or suggested that she act a certain way, but she noticed how Cora smiled more when she copied her. She had picked up the differences between the cutlery straight away, slowed her chewing down to match Cora’s and cutting the food into more delicate portions._

_“Did you have a nice time at the market?”_

_Red bit her lip and looked down at her plate. “They have increased the guards. The Queen is still searching for Snow White. I had to hide my cloak in the woods in case they recognised it. The villagers warned me that the Queen knows I was helping her.”_

_“You haven’t lost it?”_

_“No. I know where it is.”_

_“Did you leave it in the forest?” Cora silently stood from her chair and walked around the table to stand beside Red._

_She put a hand on the girls shoulder; silently assuring her that everything would be fine. With her magic she could hide Red so that she could go and look for it. The magic in the cloak prevented it being summoned but if it was lost she could track the traces of her own magic, which she had used to repair it._

_“Snow White has it.”_

_“What?” Cora tightened her grip on Red’s shoulder, causing a gasp of pain. “I’m sorry.” She quickly apologised, placing a kiss on top of her head._

_“She must have been living near the village and someone there told her I had come. I didn’t know what to do.” Red continued, as if she hadn’t felt Cora’s nails digging into her skin. “She met me on the way back, acting as though nothing had changed. She wanted me to go with her, but I said I couldn’t.”_

_“How did she get your cloak?”_

_“She was talking about taking back her kingdom, about fighting the Queen. She said she had allies and that they were going to win. I don’t remember what I said. The guards must have been searching the woods. I think we heard them at the same time. I climbed a tree to get a better look, but Snow grabbed my cloak to try and convince me to run. The material tore again and she picked the pieces up just as the guards moved in our direction. She must have seen them. The next thing I knew she was calling out for me to follow her, telling me that it would be okay because she had my cloak.”_

_“Why didn’t you follow her?”_

_“I panicked. The guards were too close, I wasn’t sure I could outrun them and she was headed away from here….”_

_“But she has your cloak.”_

_“I can track her tomorrow. Give the guards some time to finish their search and clear out of the woods.”_

_“And then what?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“When you find your cloak and Snow White, what will you do next?”_

_“I was sort of hoping you could fix it for me again.” Red brought her hand up to cover Cora’s. “I know I’m a nuisance, but I promise I’ll be more careful in the future.”_

_“I meant about Snow White.”_

_“Well, I don’t want to kill her or anything. I don’t hate her for what happened to my mother and Peter, but I can’t help feeling that she was partly to blame… We were both so young…”_

_“You still are.”_

_Red smiled. “Naïve, then. What I mean is, I don’t want to hurt her, but I don’t want to join her little crusade either. Her ideas never seem to work out.”_

_Cora felt relieved, though her mind began working through a new idea. “So you’re staying here?”_

_“If you don’t mind.”_

_“Don’t be silly, of course I want you to stay.”_

_Though putting Red back closer to Snow would provide her with more information on the princesses plans. Maybe even a little sabotage was in order, to help put things the way she wanted them._

_Red’s lips pressing against hers interrupted her thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed her stand up. As delicate fingers brushed through her hair, Cora decided that having a spy in Snow White’s camp could wait._

 

Chapter 17.

 

Cora hadn’t let Ruby’s cell phone out of her sight since they returned from their meeting with Emma. The younger woman was tired of trying to distract her from the fact that Regina hadn’t called.

“Should I send her a message?” Cora asked, picking it up and turning it over in her hands. “You said you can write a letter to her on this device.”

“I thought you wanted to wait, let her contact you?”

“Maybe if I apologise again…”

“Come on, we’ll go for a walk.” Ruby stood up, stretching out her long limbs.

“You go, I’ll stay here.” Cora replied without looking at her.

Ruby held out a hand for the device. “She’ll call when she’s ready.”

“I know.” Cora pouted at Ruby when she took the cell out of her hands and put it in her pocket.

“She _will_ call.” Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Now are you coming with me? I’m taking the cell.”

Cora rose gracefully from her chair and moved close to Ruby, looking into her eyes. “When did you get so bossy?”

Ruby grinned. “It’s for your own good.”

“Really?”

“Turns you on, doesn’t it?”

Cora’s eyes lowered to Ruby’s lips, then back up to her eyes. She gave a small nod, barely visible. Ruby reached for her hand and used her other hand to cup the back of Cora’s head and pull her into a kiss. She felt Cora’s body relax.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Cora asked when they finally broke apart.

“The change of scene will be good for you.” Ruby tugged at the hand she was still holding. “Now, let’s go before it gets dark.”

“All right.” Cora ran a hand through Ruby’s dark hair, wondering whether to take the cell phone back with her magic. “Maybe we could find an isolated spot, somewhere private…to finish this?”

“Usually I have to beg you for that, I thought you hated doing it outside?”

“I have 28 years of memories without you in them. When I look back at the ones we do have, I realised I wanted to change. I told you I want to change for Regina, but I want to change for us too.”

Ruby just stared at her, lost for words. She had never pressed Cora, never fought to hear the other woman say she loved her, but hearing that, she almost felt as though she had.

~~~~~~

A few days earlier, Regina had been sitting in a corner booth in the diner when Snow and Charming brought Emma and Henry. They all looked so happy. She watched, wishing for the courage to try and join them. Granny served them personally, laughing with them and writing down their order. When they were busy looking at their menus, she headed for the door.

Outside, she took a deep breath, allowing the cold air to hit the back of her throat and headed home. There was a stranger leaning against a lamppost on the way. He stood up straight as she passed and pulled back his hood, lowering his head in a small show of respect.

“Your majesty.”

Regina frowned. “Hook. For someone who betrayed me, you’re very brave to be here.”

“You didn’t really want your mother dead, so what’s the harm?”

“What do you want?”

“To know whether you brought my crew to this world. Sailing the ship is so much harder on my own.”

“You managed to get here.”

“I had help. Your mother was kind enough to use her magic…”

Regina’s hand wrapped around his throat, cutting off his words. “You brought her here?”

“She’s helping me on another little problem.”

Regina released him. She didn’t care about his feud with Rumplestiltskin, but if he knew her mother was here he might tell someone else. Snow knew about her now, and so did Emma. Henry had told her about their encounter with her back in the Enchanted Forest. She didn’t want them putting him in more danger by going up against her.

“Try the Rabbit Hole. I’m sure you’ll find it to your tastes.”

“That was easy.”

She just glared at him and watched him back away. Catching the sound of laughter, she turned her head. The Charming’s were leaving the diner with Henry. If she allowed herself to use magic she could follow them without being seen. Unfortunately she had promised Henry and had to let them go.

This morning she had been to visit Dr. Hopper again. He was helping her deal with her promise to Henry to stop using magic. They had been speaking about her mother and now all she wanted was to see Henry. To make sure he was alright.

She was passing in front of the building where they lived. It was getting late, but she watched the four of them leaving. Emma was opening the boot of her bug and putting in some bags. Regina moved back to the corner of the building, peering around and hoping they wouldn’t see her. Snow and Charming were hugging Henry and Rumplestiltskin was opening the passenger door to Emma’s car. Was Emma taking Henry somewhere? Why was Rumplestiltskin going with them?

She was scared to find out. She didn’t want to face Henry and hear that he wanted Emma to take him away from Storybrooke. Away from her. As the yellow VW sped away, she slipped out from her hiding place and went to confront Snow.

Charming, as usual, stepped between them as if he could protect his wife from her. She refused to notice him, speaking directly to her once-stepdaughter. When she enquired where Emma was taking her son, Charming answered with the predictable answer that he wasn’t her son. Before she could argue, Snow put a hand on his arm and stepped around to look at Regina.

“Rumplestiltskin came to call in the favour Emma owed him.”

“How does that involve Henry?”

“He wanted Emma to take him somewhere. She took Henry with her. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

“And when were they going to tell me about this?”

Charming shook his head. “Emma doesn’t need your permission…”

“Legally she does. Perhaps I should make a phone call. Kidnapping would put her in jail outside of Storybrooke, so you wouldn’t be able to visit her…”

“Henry would never forgive you.” Snow pointed out.

Regina smiled. “Only if he remembered her.”

Charming lunged for her but Snow stopped him. “Please…”

“She has five days.” Regina stepped around them. “Oh, and tell her that I want a phone call from Henry every day, otherwise…”

She left the threat hanging and walked away, changing her plans. Instead of going home she would pay a different visit.

 

Chapter 18.

 

They returned to the cabin long after it had grown dark. Cora had a blanket folded in her arms while Ruby carried a basket containing the remains of their meal. As she went to reach for the door, Ruby put a hand on her arm, warning her that there was someone else waiting in the cabin. Refusing to enter behind her, Cora stepped forward to see who was there.

“Hello mother.” Regina was standing by the fireplace, a cup of coffee in her hand. “I guess I don’t have to ask what you have been up to.”

Cora’s hand lifted a few inches before she remembered that she had tidied her appearance with magic before they left. Ruby’s hair, on the other hand, still had a wild look.

“You came back.” Cora noted.

Regina sighed and placed the cup on a nearby table. “I have been talking to Dr. Hopper.”

“Who?”

“The town psychiatrist.” Ruby tried to explain, but realised Cora wouldn’t understand because there hadn’t been anyone like that in the Enchanted Forest.

“It doesn’t matter.” Regina told her. “He’s been helping me deal with a few things.”

“You told him I was here?”

“No, but I have told him about you, about the past.”

Of course Snow and Emma had filled many of the townspeople in since their return from the Enchanted Forest. Talking to Dr Hopper had helped Regina a little, and knowing that she wasn’t the only one to have seen her mother’s dark side made it easier. She told him she was only speaking hypothetically about her return. Gold hadn’t seemed too worried about it after the portal at the well had been closed, but if they ever returned to the Enchanted Forest she would have to face her. He assured her that she wasn’t alone, that others would stand with her against her mother. He suggested removing her mothers powers. Regina had laughed. Only Gold’s power could match her mothers and while he was in love with Belle he was weakened. He wanted more details about her mother, but she could never tell him everything. Regina didn’t really trust anyone enough for that yet. He had reminded her that she had changed, that yes it was possible for others to change and that perhaps there was something to help her mother want to change. She was counting on him to remember those words very soon.

“I’m sure he’s very sympathetic. How does that help?”

“I asked him, hypothetically of course, how I should handle it if you found a way here.”

“What did he suggest?”

“The same thing he always does.”

“I don’t know him, so you’ll have to be a little more specific, dear.”

Regina’s eyes moved to Ruby, then back to her mother, searching for a way to avoid answering. “You said you met Ruby when Snow was still an outlaw. Why her?”

Cora tried to hide her surprise at the new question by taking a seat. “Because she found me and needed my help.”

“That’s what she said.”

Ruby smiled and shrugged when Cora looked at her. She knew she had to stay out of their conversation if she could, but she wanted to be in the room to support Cora. So she waited in the doorway, not moving towards either of them.

“You still don’t believe it.”

“I just don’t understand.”

“I never loved your father. He was a good man, but that wasn’t why I married him.”

“You wanted power. You always wanted more.”

“All I want _now_ is your happiness.”

“Then leave me alone.”

She didn’t mean those words. Not now. It was more of a test. She was counting on her mother’s wish to support her.

“I can’t. Not until I know you can forgive me for what I did.”

“Why do you even care?”

“Because you’re my daughter. I love you. I would do anything to help you. Anything you ask.”

Regina closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. “Anything?”

Ruby noticed a look of fear in Cora’s eyes as she nodded. When Regina finally opened her eyes, Cora nodded again.

“Prove you want to change.”

“How?”

“No more messing in my life. No more manipulating those around you.”

“Okay.”

“You will come to Storybrooke, find somewhere to live and act like a normal mother. No more quests for power, or status.”

“I could get a job in the town. I know how to bake.” Cora sounded eager and willing to try.

“Snow White, Emma and Rumplestiltskin won’t be the only ones who met you in the Enchanted Forest. It won’t be easy.”

“If this is what you want…”

“There is one more thing.” Regina cut in, crossing her arms.

“Go on.”

“You may not mention this thing between you and Ruby. It is to end, right now. She…”

“Hang on a minute.” Ruby finally spoke up. “I…”

Cora held up a hand to stop her, and then looked back at her daughter. “Regina…”

“No. Can’t you see how people will react? They’ll say you’re corrupting her, and that she’s under your spell. If you want them to believe you can change you need to let her go.”

“That’s not fair.” Ruby told her. “We love each other.”

“It’s your choice, mother.” Regina ignored Ruby, keeping her eyes on Cora.

“Because I took Daniel away from you, you want to keep me away from Ruby?”

“It’s not like she’s your True Love.” Regina taunted her.

“What happened today?”

Regina frowned at her mother’s question.

“I know when something has upset you.”

“It doesn’t matter. Do we have a deal?”

“Did Emma do something to hurt you?”

“Will you stop changing the subject!”

“I only…”

“Either come back to town or don’t. I’ve told you what you have to do.” Regina looked away as purple smoke engulfed her.

 

Chapter 19.

 

When Regina was gone, Ruby stepped towards the couch and sank down into it. The older woman turned and looked down at her, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Are you…?”

Cora stopped Ruby’s question with a kiss. Ruby shifted on the seat as Cora climbed over her. She could already see the answer in her eyes and knew that this might be their last chance to be together. If Cora didn’t want to talk about it, she would respect that. They shouldn’t end their last night with a fight. She knew the priority in Cora’s mind. She would do as her daughter asked, no matter what. The decision didn’t stop her own tears. Cora whispered apologies between the kisses she trailed down Ruby’s neck. Ruby reached out and wrapped her arms around Cora’s waist, pulling her closer. Cora magicked them to the bedroom, laying them on top of the bed and removing their clothes.

As Ruby felt Cora’s hands move her own up above her head, she spoke. “No.”

Cora looked hurt, but she stopped what she was doing. Before she could move away, Ruby was sitting up and wrapping her arms around Cora’s neck.

“This time, let me.”

Cora nodded, allowing Ruby to shift them around and lay back on the bed under the younger woman. Ruby was gentle with her, cupping a hand behind her head as she lowered her onto the pillows. She let Ruby kiss her, closing her eyes when she saw Ruby doing the same. When she opened them again, Ruby was smiling down at her, and exploring Cora’s body her hands.

“It won’t be for long, you know. Just until they trust me.”

“Cora…”

Ruby wanted her to stop talking. If they just concentrated on the now she could pretend it wasn’t happening. She found Cora’s clit and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger, wishing Regina wasn’t pushing her into making this choice. Cora twitched her hips and smiled at her.

“We spent three decades apart, this will be nothing compared to that.”

Ruby ran a finger along Cora’s folds, while her other hand grabbed a fistful of the bed sheets. “But we didn’t remember. Time was replaying on a loop because of the curse, its why we didn’t age…”

“I need you to be brave for me, to…”

“Stop it.” Ruby pulled her hands away from Cora and sat back.

“Ruby…”

“Tomorrow you’re going back to your daughter and we’ll never have this again. We both know nothing anyone says or does will change that.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around, hugging them close to her.

“Maybe…”

“We should have left. The second Regina told you to go, we could have gone away and not looked back. Just the two of us, the way it used to be. I know that’s not what you want, but you could have kept in contact with her, written letters or used magic or something.”

“We will be together again. I swear it…”

“How?”

Cora reached out for her, but Ruby leaned away. Everything was spoiled.

~~~~~~

Cora arrived at the front door to Regina’s mansion as the sun rose. She knew her daughter was waiting for her and that there would be protections on the house. Regina could pretend to avoid magic for Henry, but the instinct to protect herself went far too deep to ignore.

She knocked on the door. Regina answered it, inviting her inside without a word. Cora took in her new surroundings calmly. Her daughter gave her a tour of the mansion. Any door she didn’t open warned Cora not to trespass there.

She had expected a few more pictures of Henry. Perhaps they were in Regina’s bedroom or one of the forbidden rooms. She would re-materialise her own belongings once Regina had shown her to her room.

“Accommodation in Storybrooke is limited.” Regina told her as they climbed the stairs. “The curse only provided what was needed and any empty building will not meet your standards.”

“A little magic can fix that.”

“As much as I would rather you find your own place to live, allowing you to use magic to renovate a dilapidated home would not be fair on the other residents. The amount of magic required means it would take almost as long as fixing it the traditional way.”

“I mentioned that I would be willing to work, but I’m not sure if anyone would hire me.”

“First things first. We must allow the people to get used to you.”

“I suppose you want me to apologise to Emma for trying to take her heart?”

Cora didn’t miss Regina’s grimace at the suggestion. She wished her daughter would talk to her about it. Whatever was going on, she was sure she could help with it.

“This is your room.”

Cora had accepted the bedroom at the cabin because she had no other choice, and because Ruby had been there, but this… this was a real bedroom. Regina had decorated it simply, but with touches of her favourite colour all around. Examining the sheets she found them to be soft and the window looked out onto the garden.

“I will give you some time to unpack.”

Cora turned back to Regina, smiling at her. “Thank you. It is lovely.”

Regina left without a reply.

~~~~~~

It had been two days since Cora moved into Regina’s home. Their interactions were still distant, however hard Cora tried to praise her daughter for the little things like her cooking or outfits. They had wandered into the town, ignoring the stares and questions on everyone’s lips. She knew Regina had gone to see Snow White. What her daughter had told her was a mystery, but there didn’t appear to be any obstacle to her presence.

One of Regina’s other conditions was for therapy sessions with Dr. Hopper, a former cricket. Cora had laughed when Regina explained his past life and that she wanted them to talk to him. They were due to see him later for a session and she was curious to hear what he would want them to talk about. Regina wouldn’t finish her work in the office for another couple of hours so she had offered to make them dinner. They hadn’t been into the diner and she still hadn’t seen Emma or Henry. At first she worried the blonde was keeping the boy from her or Regina. Then she realised that Snow’s husband was walking around wearing his Sheriff’s outfit. She turned to her mirror, contacting Hook and asking him to scout around the town for answers, giving him a new outfit to help him blend in.

She located Regina’s cookbook while she waited for a reply, wishing she knew which was her daughter’s favourite meal. Ruby used to mention Regina’s visits to the diner and she tried to remember if there was anything in particular Regina had ordered.

 

Chapter 20.

 

Dr. Hopper broke the news of Emma’s escape with Henry from Storybrooke to Cora. She had watched her daughter’s annoyance at the secret being spilled and wanted to ask when this had taken place. Suddenly everything made sense. Why Regina had finally come back for her. Why Henry hadn’t been to see them.

Instead of revealing her surprise at his words, she had kept her cool and pretended that she was fully aware of their absence. She knew Regina wouldn’t want to be embarrassed in front of someone who used to be an insect.

Rather than return to the mansion, Regina suggested finally going to the diner. She assured her mother that Ruby wouldn’t be working the afternoon shift because she would be helping David cover the phones at the Sheriff’s station. They had held off going to the diner long enough.

Cora’s eyes swept the room as she entered. Her gaze turning up as the bell sounded above their heads. Regina headed straight to the booth she always sat in with Henry, expecting her mother to follow. She lifted a menu and held it out as Cora sat down opposite her.

As soon as they were in the privacy of a booth, Cora raised the subject of Henry’s little vacation. Regina insisted that she had it covered and didn’t need to talk about it. Cora pressed her further until Regina admitted that Emma had taken Henry without talking to her and that she had threatened Snow White to ensure they would return soon.

“You said that they took the Dark…Rumplestiltskin with them?”

“Emma owed him a favour. Another good and noble deed required his help and this was his payment.”

Taking his dagger out of Storybrooke might remove its power. Cora knew he would never risk that which meant it could still be here. She wasn’t sure if Regina was ready to know about it yet, or whether her daughter would agree to using it to control the Dark One. His heart was vulnerable. He wouldn’t have risked leaving it without some kind of back-up. It was possible that Belle knew something about it and with Emma gone there was no-one powerful enough to stand in her way. Controlling Rumplestiltskin, having his full powers at her command…there was nothing she couldn’t do.

“We can get him back, you know.” Cora whispered from behind the laminated plastic.

Regina frowned at her mother, reaching out to lower the menu so that she could see her face. “No. I want him to really love me and you promised no dark magic on him.”

“It’s just a little spell, hardly _dark_.”

Regina just glared at her. “No.”

Cora sighed and placed the menu on the table. “Then what do you plan to do?”

“We wait.”

“And you trust Rumplestiltskin with him?”

“Emma will keep him safe. She is the Saviour after all.”

“It’s such a shame there isn’t a way to ensure Rumplestiltskin’s behaviour when he returns…”

“Mother… you are not to hurt Belle.”

“I was thinking of another…” Cora stopped as the waitress came to take their order.

It would be best to continue the discussion at Regina’s home, she realised. There were too many prying eyes and ears in such a public place.

Regina suggested a meal she might like and explained it to her while they waited for it to be prepared. The rest of the time was filled with a discussion of potential jobs for her. Regina hinted that everyone in Storybrooke had some purpose, to keep the town running.

Feeling nervous at the thought of seeing Ruby again, Cora barely touched her food or noticed its delicious flavours. She listened to Regina and the background noise of assorted other diner’s conversations until it was time to leave, her mind on only one thing.

~~~~~~

By the time Emma returned with Henry and Rumplestiltskin, Cora still hadn’t settled on a career. Regina had convinced a number of the townspeople to allow her to try different jobs. She had flat-out refused to work at the bakery, remembering the last time she had handled flour as her livelihood.

The trio’s return to Storybrooke was as much of a surprise to Regina as their departure had been. Cora overheard her talking with Emma, demanding to know why she hadn’t brought Henry to see her. She heard Emma’s reply and knew it wasn’t the one Regina wanted. Her daughter would be angry.

When Regina mentioned meeting at the diner for lunch, Cora agreed assuming that she was still being kept away from Ruby. Either Regina chose that time on purpose, or other matters had distracted her from checking the details. They didn’t see Ruby straightaway – she was in the kitchen with Granny while another waitress took their order.

Emma was sitting alone in a booth, reading a newspaper, and Archie was at the table next to her. Regina led her mother to a table near the window, seating herself so that her back was to the blonde. Cora kept the silence her daughter clearly wanted and browsed through the menu. There were still many things she wanted to ask.

It was Ruby’s laugh that caught her attention first. She looked up eagerly, desperate to get a glimpse of the brunette. Watching her interact with Emma she missed her even more. She wanted to be alone with Ruby. Needed to talk to her, to touch her, to kiss…

“Mother?” Regina glowered at her, “you’re staring.”

Cora blushed and fought to look away. Soon enough, Ruby saw her and Regina summoned her over. Ruby didn’t speak to them. She just looked down at her notepad, pen poised to take their orders. Regina ordered their usual lunches, watching as Ruby’s eyes flitted to Cora and back again.

When she brought their drinks over, some of Cora’s coffee spilt onto the table. Cora quickly mopped it up without a word, but Regina made some comment to Ruby which started the two of them snapping at each other. Cora listened to her daughter’s words and wondered how much of Regina’s attitude was her fault. She wanted to stop them, but didn’t want to make things worse. Luckily Ruby gave in and walked away, saying someone else would serve them. Regina looked happy, but it was a small victory.

“Did you have to do that?” Cora whispered, when she was sure everyone else in the diner had turned back to their own meals.

“Just putting her in her place. You would think after thirty years of being a waitress she would have learnt....”

Cora shook her head. “That’s not why you did it.”

“You didn’t stick up for her.”

“I chose you, Regina. What more proof do you need?”

Regina’s eyes darkened. “You still want her. Until I’m sure it’s over, I can’t trust you.”

“It’s over,” Cora assured her.

Chapter 21.

 

As soon as Cora and Regina left the diner, Emma snuck out to the kitchens, waving her badge at the waitress covering the counter. She found Ruby stacking the dishwasher, and waited until she turned around before speaking.

“What’s been going on?”

Ruby sighed. “What do you mean?”

“Before I left Regina was actually becoming a pleasant person to be around. Now all of a sudden she’s back to being Mayor Mills with the attitude to match. Is it her mother? Is she a bad influence or something?”

“Maybe she’s angry that you took Henry away. Maybe you hurt her when you didn’t tell her before going. She’s been sending her mother to see Archie. I’m sure if there was a problem he’d warn Snow.”

“Woah, you’re blaming me for her attitude out there?”

“Yes.” Ruby folded her arms and glared at Emma. “I thought you liked her.”

“I did… I do. Everything just happened so fast, with Gold…”

“No excuse. God, Emma, she was becoming a nicer person and then you had to mess everything up.”

“Everything?”

“Forget it.”

“Tell me.”

“You just need to make things better. Maybe then…” _she’ll let me be with Cora again._

“She doesn’t like me that way Rubes, it wasn’t going to happen.”

The back door opened as Granny carried in a few extra supplies for the kitchen. “Hey, only staff allowed back here.”

“Sorry, I was just leaving.” Emma told her.

“Think about what I said.” Ruby asked.

Emma didn’t reply.

~~~~~~

Henry was quick to let everyone know that Gold was his grandfather. He went to visit Regina and Cora, to tell them all about Neal. At first he was wary of Cora. He’d leant a lot about his grandmother since the curse had broken and people who remembered her were able to tell him stories. She offered to give the two of them some time alone; Emma would be collecting him after an hour.

Once she had gone, Henry asked Regina if she was alright. He told her she seemed different.

“You’re not using dark magic again are you?”

“No, Henry.”

“What about Cora?”

“She’s made a promise not to hurt you. One she can’t break.”

“What about everyone else?”

“Don’t worry.” She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but he had sat away from her when he came in. “Now, tell me about your trip with Emma.”

~~~~~~

There wasn’t much time. Cora snuck out to Hook’s ship. The pirate had gone after Gold when he crossed the Storybrooke border and still hadn’t returned. It was the perfect place to meet Ruby without anyone seeing them. She used magic to spy on the diner and saw Ruby was alone. Causing a noise to come from the alleyway adjoining the back door, she waited until Ruby went to investigate and then transported her to the ship.

Ruby spun around, her surprise showing when she saw where she was and who was waiting for her. “Cora?”

“Ruby.” Cora rushed over, intending to wrap arms around the younger woman and hold her close.

Raising her hands as a barrier between them, Ruby stopped her. “What are you doing?”

“I missed you.”

“I’m guessing from our location that Regina doesn’t know you’re here, and with me?”

Cora shook her head. “She’s spending some time with Henry, so her focus is all on him for now.”

Ruby nodded and stepped away from her. “What do you want?”

“To see you.”

“You saw me today…”

“It’s not the same, you know how I feel about you…”

“You chose Regina.”

“She’s my daughter, but I still love you, please don’t make me choose.”

“You’ve already chosen!” Ruby shouted, hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Cora looked down at the words, then back up at her. “She doesn’t have to know about us. We can keep it a secret again, here on Hook’s ship. Whenever she’s busy with Henry I can bring us both here.”

“No.”

As Ruby looked away, Cora took a chance. She moved over and placed a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, turning the other woman around to face her. Her other hand reached out for Ruby’s waist and drew her in closer. Ruby didn’t stop her. She allowed Cora to kiss her and, as the kiss deepened, to slip her hands under her white blouse. Her own hands were reaching for Cora’s clothes and she struggled to find the zip on the skirt, assuming it would be at the back when it was at the side and it felt like it was taking forever to find it. Having to adjust her feet, to keep her balance on the gentle rocking of the ship, Ruby looked around. She knew Cora wouldn’t want to lie on the floor, there was no telling if the pirate had ever cleaned the ship, and she hated the idea of using his bed. The support beams around the edges of the room looked strong, so she lifted Cora off the floor and carried her over to the closest one, allowing her skirt to fall to the floor. Cora wrapped her legs around Ruby’s waist, lips claiming Ruby’s neck as they moved into position. Ruby looked up at Cora, hoping the wood wasn’t hurting her.

Cora’s hands moved through Ruby’s hair. “I want you…”

“Are you sure?”

“Do you think you’re strong enough to hold me up, to use your mouth and your tongue…”

Ruby smiled as she pictured Cora’s legs draped over her shoulders and she looked up at the ceiling. “Perhaps if you had something to hold on to…”

Cora’s magic swirled above them, creating a small ledge for her to perch on and a low beam a little way above her head. As soon as her hands curled around it, Ruby adjusted her position, easily hoisting the older woman up. She could see Cora was eager for her, the heat warming her nose as her tongue licked along her soft folds, tasting her. Cora’s gasps turned to moans as Ruby sucked on her clit and Ruby felt the leg muscles tense against her back. Teasing Cora’s entrance with her tongue, Ruby took her time bringing her to climax, pushing aside any thoughts that involved the future. She only wanted to focus on the here and now.

~~~~~~

When Cora finally opened her eyes, she placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders and the younger woman helped her down. Standing with Ruby’s arms around her, Cora leaned in and kissed her. She could taste herself on those red lips and wanted to return the favour.

But she knew she couldn’t. There wasn’t time.

“We will find a way to be together again,” she told her.

“What if Regina…”

“I promise,” Cora insisted.

Using her magic to return her clothes and remove the new additions to the ship, Cora gave Ruby one last kiss. Then she returned them back where they had come from.

 

Chapter 22.

 

“That’s Henry’s father,” Regina explained as they watched the boy and young man playing in the park.

Cora frowned when she saw Emma join the pair. Neal was another obstacle to her daughter’s happiness. She automatically began plotting to solve this new problem.

“Mother…” Regina warned, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t.”

“But…”

“It will hurt Henry, and you promised…”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“Then leave them alone.”

Considering who Neal’s father was, and everything he had done to try to get his son back, that was good advice. She couldn’t see any family resemblance to Rumplestiltskin, but perhaps the boy took after him in other ways.

Cora slipped her hand through Regina’s arm. “Very well. Why don’t we go somewhere today, just the two of us?”

“I have to work.”

“After work, then? Why don’t we go riding, I know how much you love horses…” Cora spoke without thinking, wincing as she remembered the incident at the stables, but quickly tried to apologise. “I’m sorry, that was…”

“It’s fine mother. I’ve been around horses since Daniel’s death.”

“Perhaps there’s something we can do, some kind of entertainment in this world…”

“You don’t have to try so hard.”

“I just want to spend time with you.”

Regina turned away from the happy family in front of them. Her mother’s words felt as though they had arrived years too late. She had longed to hear them for so long, to believe that her mother did love her, but now…

Regina looked back at Henry, saw him laughing and running around his birth parents as they tossed leaves at each other. She felt as though she was loosing him. Now she had a chance to spend time with her mother and the choice was strange. In the end the feeling of loneliness won out.

“I could show you how to make apple turnovers? I used to make them with Henry.”

“I’d love that.”

~~~~~~

Preparing the potion had been easy. Hiding it from Regina? Not so much.

Cora tucked the small vial into the handbag her daughter had brought for her and carried it to the diner. She managed to slip it to Ruby whispering that it should be put into Emma’s drink the next time she visited. It would make sure the blonde continued to think about Regina and hopefully get her to do something about it.

Baking the apple turnovers with her daughter had only shown how much she had missed out on. She wanted to be a part of Regina’s life, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Ruby too. The only way to get Regina to accept her relationship with the younger woman would be to have Regina find love herself. A relationship with Emma would just cement Regina’s chances to spend more time with Henry too.

She was preparing breakfast for Regina the next morning, when there was a knock at the door. Cora smiled when she saw the Sheriff through the peephole and let her inside. Emma looked a little nervous when she asked to see Regina.

“Is it important?” Cora asked, guessing what she wanted.

“I really need to talk to her…”

“This early in the morning? Is it Henry? Is something wrong?”

“No,” Emma was struggling to stop herself from marching right past Cora and up the stairs to find Regina.

“Perhaps you could come back later…”

“I need to see her now…” this time Emma did ignore Cora, running up the stairs two at a time.

Cora just stood there and smiled as she waited to see what her daughter would do. Of course, if things progressed well between them she might have to leave the house. Hopefully Regina wouldn’t suspect anything was pushing Emma into revealing her feelings. Those first declarations of attraction were so important.

~~~~~~

Flashback.

_Cora was sitting on a sofa in front of the fireplace when Red dragged the blankets from the bed towards her._

_“You’ll get cold,” Red explained as she fussed over the material, settling it around the older woman, then hovering between her and the flames._

_“That’s why I’m by the fire,” Cora told her._

_“You could have stayed in the bed with me. I would have kept you warm, courtesy of my wolf-blood.”_

_“I needed time to think and lying in bed with you was a little distracting.”_

_Red glanced down at her naked body and smiled, “so I guess I shouldn’t stand here either?”_

_Cora parted the blankets, allowing Red to join her. She was glad she had put on a nightgown to sit in front of the fire, and wondered whether to mention for Red to do the same. Her arms wrapped around the younger woman, enjoying the warmth from her body. Red sighed in contentment, closing her eyes and leaning into Cora a little more. She didn’t realise she what she was doing at first, her eyes locked on the flames while her hands roamed the brunette’s body of their own subconscious will. It was only when Red turned in her arms and tried to shift her nightgown up that Cora looked away from the hypnotic fire and became aware of her thumb circling Red’s clit. Red kissed her then, nibbling her way up Cora’s neck and feasting on her mouth. Giving in to the need she could now feel was growing between her legs, Cora gave Red the access she desired and removed the blankets covering them, wanting to see her naked body. Red lifted Cora off the sofa with one hand, just enough for the other hand to pull the nightgown up past her waist. Raising her arms, Cora allowed Red to remove the garment completely. Soon her body was covered with Red’s skin, as if the younger woman was trying to get as much contact between them as possible. A hand found its way between her thighs, sliding up to stroke already damp folds. Cora’s knee rose, finding itself against Red’s entrance._

_“I love you,” Red whispered into her ear, pushing two fingers inside at the words._

_Cora avoided a reply by kissing her, wondering if the declaration was merely a result of the heat of the moment. Red had been gone so long this time and she had found herself missing the girl. The absence had been worthwhile, the news she brought back had been important. Cora turned her mind from Red’s update about Snow White and tried to make up for her silence. She knew just how to make Red happy._

~~~~~~

Cora took a seat in a corner booth, in the empty diner. Granny was cleaning the counters when she entered, and told her she’d take her order once she’d finished. Cora wasn’t in a hurry. She’d left Emma and Regina alone in the mansion...waiting just long enough to ensure the blonde survived the first few seconds in her daughters presence. There was a smile on her face as she thoughts about what _that_ meant.

“What can I get for you today?” Granny finally came over to the booth, a pen and notepad in her hands.

“I’m feeling adventurous. What exactly is that thing Emma is always ordering, the one Regina disapproves…?”

“I don’t think you want a burger for breakfast. Or do you mean a bear claw?”

Cora shrugged, “I have no idea. I just fancied something different, something from this world. What would you recommend?”

She didn’t have time to stand around talking all day. There were still things to set up in the diner and until Ruby arrived she was on her own.

“I’ll surprise you,” Granny offered, tucking the notepad into her pocket.

Cora smiled and nodded, wondering what time Ruby would be starting work. She couldn’t wait to share her good news.

 

Chapter 23.

 

The large clock hand adjusted its position. Cora was watching, having counted from the last minute. The diner was quiet. Only two customers had come into the diner – one collecting a take-out coffee, the other sitting down for a quick breakfast – and both had left. She hoped Granny wasn’t becoming suspicious.

“I have to pop to the store, I’ll only be gone a minute. Would you mind keeping an eye on the place? Ruby should be here soon, but the longer I leave it the busier it will get.”

Cora nodded, pleased to be trusted. She wondered whether Granny would expect her to serve customers, or if she should just tell them to wait, but Granny headed out the door before she had a chance.

A few minutes passed, her half-eaten breakfast still on the plate. Clearly her ideas of good breakfast foods were vastly different from Granny’s. She wondered if this was something Emma would eat. Perhaps she could ask Ruby to cook her something when she arrived.

~~~~~~

The blonde had finally gone.

Regina waited out her exit for a while, sitting in the silence left behind. Her mind still trying to process what had happened.

She raised a hand to her lips, where Emma’s kisses had left them tingling, then up to her hair where the other woman had stroked soft fingers through. It had all happened so fast: Emma’s entrance, the passionate words lost in the first kiss, the second kiss, the third… hands wandering over her clothes. She had just allowed it all to happen, she was almost sure she had kissed Emma back.

Then it hit her. Her mother was downstairs! Oh god what a nightmare! What was she going to tell her? Surely she knew… Emma hadn’t been subtle barging into her room and…. At least Henry wasn’t home.

Regina composed herself, standing and waking over to the mirror to check her reflection. She straightened her clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles, brushed through the tangles in her hair with her fingers… there wasn’t time for more.

“Mother?” she called as she descended the stairs.

There was no sign of Cora inside the house. The garden was empty. Regina closed her eyes. When had she gone? As soon as Emma arrived, or …later?

She smiled as she remembered the way Emma promised to see her soon. If only her cell hadn’t rung, calling her out to work.

Regina wondered whether to phone Emma and invite her back. She could make up an emergency so the blonde returned…. No. It would be best to let things settle. To have some time to think about what happened and… Regina shook her head. Emma had kissed her. It didn’t seem real. After months of watching the blonde, wondering if she could gather the courage to talk about how she felt, to have Emma just barge into her home like that… Of course, it was real, otherwise her mother would still be here and Emma’s jacket wouldn’t lying on a chair in her room, casually tossed onto it by the blonde when she entered.

Now what?

~~~~~~         

The saucepans rattled as Ruby lifted Cora onto the work surface and her back brushed against them. They kissed hastily, worried that at any moment a customer – or Granny – might enter the diner. Cora wrapped her legs around Ruby, pulling her closer. She knew it was wrong, but she didn’t care. When she followed Ruby into the kitchen, she only intended for them to talk, happy for a chance to spend time together. It would have worked if there had been more room for the waitress to manoeuvre, if Cora had stepped out of the way as Ruby crossed the kitchen to get to the sink. The moment their bodies brushed, Ruby had dropped whatever she had been holding and grabbed Cora.

“It’s nearly over,” Cora whispered as Ruby nibbled at her ear, “Emma came over to see Regina…”

“Because of that potion? Are you sure Regina won’t find out?”

“Don’t worry,” Cora stroked a hand through Ruby’s hair, “she’ll never know.”

She pressed her lips to Ruby’s, beginning a kiss she didn’t intend to stop anytime soon. Fortunately Ruby’s wolf-hearing warned them of Granny’s return.

Ruby helped Cora down from the counter, and the older woman used magic to smooth out the wrinkles in their clothes. Granny entered the kitchen too late to see the tell-tale cloud of transportation magic. If she noticed Cora’s scent lingering in the air, she didn’t mention it.

~~~~~~

Cora closed the front door to the mansion as quietly as she could before heading into the kitchen. She had stopped at the grocery store on her way back, wanting an excuse for leaving, and just hoped that Regina’s cupboards needed the items she had purchased.

“Mother?” Regina’s face appeared at the kitchen window, her gardening gloves knocking on the window to get Cora’s attention.

Cora turned and smiled at her daughter, holding up the brown paper bags proudly, “I’ve been shopping.”

Regina watched, a little wary, for Cora to show her what was in the bags. She smiled approvingly at the choices as they appeared; clearly her mother had paid attention to the food she liked. Regina took off her gloves and left her muddy shoes by the back door before entering the house. She joined Cora in the kitchen and offered to help unpack the shopping; glad she had given her spending money.

“I do hope you didn’t mind my leaving earlier. Emma seemed to think she had something important to discuss with you and I assumed she’d be here a while.”

“She was,” Regina admitted, “and it was… a private matter.”

“About Henry?” Cora asked, eyes widening as she feigned innocence.

“I… I can’t say.”

“Oh, about work then. Perhaps a little juicy gossip about someone in the town – someone Emma’s arrested?”

“Mother…”

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll just head to the diner, I’m sure everyone there will know…”

“No. It wasn’t like that.”

Cora waited patiently, hoping Regina would trust her with the truth.

“Emma kissed me.”

_There it was!_ Cora wanted to hug her and jump and down with glee. Instead, she calmly folded one of the brown bags and allowed Regina to continue talking.

“I’m not sure I believe it really happened, but she left her jacket and said she’d call so…”

_Emma shouldn’t have left! Not if the potion was working._ “Where did she go?”

“She was called to work.”

Cora smiled, “I guess Ruby was right about Emma liking you.”

“It was just a little strange, the way she ran in here.”

“If you ask me, that girl is entirely strange. Of course, she has grown up in this odd little world so…”

“Emma isn’t strange.”

“Well she isn’t like us, she hasn’t been brought up to think the way we have…”

“Emma is _fine_ , mother. She’s more than that, she’s…”

“Yes?”

Regina blushed, “you know what I mean. I like her.”

“Perhaps it’s time I met her, then, to understand what you see in her.”

“Not yet,” Regina sounded a little panicked, scared that her mother would find some small reason to disapprove of Emma.

Cora nodded, “very well,” pleased that she had distracted Regina from thinking about Emma’s hurried entrance.

“I mean it, mother.”

“As you wish.”

 

Chapter 24.

 

Regina had a ‘date’ with Emma. Cora smiled as she walked through the woods, remembering her daughter’s nervous excitement that morning. Regina had casually dropped it into the conversation, mentioning that she would be meeting the blonde for lunch, and giving Cora a chance to meet with Ruby knowing that Regina would be too distracted to notice her absence. Ruby would be jogging along this trail any moment, by her calculations, and then she could whisk them away to the cabin for their own lunch ‘date’.

Her little wolf had no idea about the date of course, Regina’s surprise news hadn’t given her a lot of time to prepare, but the daily exercise followed a pattern and she knew this would be today’s path. Cora smiled as she picked up the sounds of rhythmic footfalls, wondering whether Ruby was listening to her small-box music or enjoying the forest sounds. Ruby would be upwind of her in this position, so her wolf senses wouldn’t give the game away.

Her eyes caught on the beautiful wild flowers growing near her feet. On a whim she leant forward and gathered a handful, then while she waited for Ruby to find her she pulled out a few stray grass strands to neaten the bunch before moving her right hand behind her back to hide them.

“Cora?” Ruby broke into a sprint as she saw the woman she loved.

“Surprise,” Cora hugged her with one arm when Ruby stopped in front of her. “Regina’s on a date so it’s the perfect time for us to be together without her suspecting anything.”

“What are you hiding?” Ruby tried to peer over her shoulder.

Cora revealed the wild flowers, “for you.”

“You got me flowers?”

“Do you like them?”

“Of course. Thank you,” Ruby accepted the flowers and kissed her.

Without asking permission, Cora transported them to the cabin. She showed Ruby the basket of food she had prepared for them. Part of her wanted Ruby to say she wasn’t hungry, even though she had planned in her head for this to be a date. She knew that Ruby wanted more from her than sex, the younger woman had made her feelings clear and Cora knew talking over a meal was an important part of the courtship process. So when Ruby started raiding the cupboards for plates and cutlery, and something to hold the flowers, Cora assisted and unpacked their lunch.

She listened to Ruby’s latest gossip, overheard at the diner, and tried to engage in dialogue about those she had met. Her eyes kept wandering to the tight clothes Ruby wore, wondering if they were specially made for running in the woods or whether they were just something the brunette enjoyed wearing. She missed several points in the conversation, resorting to non-committal hums when she realised, and was grateful when Ruby didn’t seem to notice. When the meal was over, Ruby picked up the empty containers and carried them over to the sink.

“I can do that,” Cora tried to stop her, as she picked up their plates, “I’ll take them back to Regina’s and put them in her machine. It cleans them on its own.”

Ruby smiled, “and then she’ll come home while its on and wonder why you’ve used the containers. Don’t worry, it won’t take me long.”

Cora found a dry towel, “thank you.”

“Hey, it’s nice to work together.”

Every time Ruby washed something and held it out to her, Cora ‘accidentally’ allowed their fingers to touch. Ruby smiled each time, as if she knew exactly what Cora was doing, but didn’t say anything. As Cora set the last piece of dry cutlery on the side, Ruby wrapped her arms around Cora’s waist and nestled her head into the older woman’s neck, taking in a deep breath.

“Dance with me?” Ruby asked.

“There’s no music.”

“Don’t need any. I remember our song.”

“Our song?”

“Yes, in this world that’s what you call the first music you dance to with someone special,” Ruby pulled away to looked at Cora, “you do remember the music I’m talking about, don’t you?”

Cora smiled, “of course.”

With a wave of her hand, the air filled with the gentle, swaying beat they both recognised. Ruby grinned and repositioned her hands, before whisking Cora around the kitchen. She swept them through the narrow corridor, into the larger space of the main room, keeping Cora’s body flush against her own.

As the music finally faded away, they sank onto the sofa, Ruby’s arm reached around Cora’s back allowing the older woman to rest her head on Ruby’s shoulder, “you’ve changed, you know?”

“Changed?”

“Since you came here and started spending more time with Regina.”

“I don’t think…”

“You seem happier. Calmer… in a less scary way.”

“You never feared me, though?”

“Not after that first night together.”

“What about when you discovered who I was… who I am?”

“No, I trusted my inner-wolf instincts, and I was right. You’ve never hurt me.”

“Not you, no.”

“And no-one since you’ve been here, right? Other than that slight kidnapping incident, not that the girl was actually harmed or remembers anything…”

“You have my word,” Cora promised.

Ruby bit her bottom lip, “so how long do you think it will be before we can try and plead our case to Regina again?”

“That all depends on Miss Swan’s ability to woo my daughter properly.”

_Beep – beep – beep._

Ruby looked around for the source of the sound. With a wry smile, Cora fished the little alarm from her bag and switched it off.

“Regina’s lunch time is almost over. I should get going.”

“Until next time…?”

“Soon.”

“I can’t believe we spent all this time together and you haven’t tried to kiss me,” Ruby pouted.

“I was trying to prove that I could control myself around you. It has been difficult, but I enjoyed this,” Cora waved her hand to indicate the remains of their lunch.

Ruby smiled, “well my control sucks, come here.”

She reached out and sliding her arms around Cora, pressed their lips together.

~~~~~~         

Regina returned smiling and with her head in the clouds – not hearing her mothers questions about her date with Emma. Cora allowed her a few minutes longer to daydream, before trying again.

“It was just a first date,” Regina tried to downplay her hopes for a second one.

“I’m pleased for you. You deserve to be happy. Will you be going out again with her soon?”

“If she asks me.”

“She initiated this _date_ , is it your turn to ask her?”

Regina bit her bottom lip and looked worried, “I don’t know. Do you think so? What if I ask her and she doesn’t want another date?”

“I’m sure she does.”

“If I wait for her to ask, then I’ll know that she wants it,” Regina paused, “on the other hand, what if she’s waiting for me to ask because she’s worried about the same thing?”

“Well, what did you each say at the end of the date?” Cora asked, wondering if Emma had dropped any hints.

She needed to get to the diner and ask Ruby to run interference for her. As Emma’s friend she could confirm whether the blonde wanted another date and whether she expected Regina to make the next move.

Regina’s eyes widened, before she raised her hands to cover her face and mumbled: “I don’t remember the exact words.”

Cora rolled her eyes, glad her daughter couldn’t see, “well, did she smile, or hug you, or try to kiss you goodbye…”

“It was a little awkward, because there were other people around. I think she went to kiss me, and I went to kiss her, but then we kinda realised we were in public and that we’d both had second thoughts.”

“Well an almost-kiss is still a good sign.”

“We both said we’d see each other soon, which was silly because this is such a small town and of course we’ll see each other…”

“Regina, this sounds to me like you both really like each other. You should ask her on another date.”

“Really?”

“Yes, call or send one of those message things on your cell. What is usual in this world for a second date? Are there rules?”

Regina smiled and sat down to patiently explain the differences between courting in the Enchanted Forest and dating in this world.

 

Chapter 25.

 

Time passed quickly after that. As Regina began to trust Cora a little more, and became busy secretly dating Emma, the older woman found she had enough free time to spend with Ruby. They went for picnics, spent time walking in the forest around the cabin, even met at the Rabbit Hole for lunch when they were sure Regina’s date with Emma would keep them on the other side of town.

Ruby eventually confided in her grandmother, after Granny caught them kissing in the alleyway at the back of the diner. Ruby had slipped out of the kitchen door for a few seconds, happy to see the woman she loved and forgetting that her grandmother had enhanced werewolf senses. Granny had sent Ruby inside, spoken a few words to Cora and then gone to get her granddaughters version of events. Hearing that Ruby and Cora’s relationship had existed before the curse was a shock, she had only suspected recently – after another incident at the diner. She admitted that she had a few concerns, but the way Ruby spoke about her love for the older woman swayed her into a promise not to tell anyone.

Finding out that her grandmother wasn’t going to act against the relationship was a big relief to Ruby, and Cora. But now, after four months, Ruby was growing restless.

“I just want our relationship to be out in the open. It isn’t fair,” she complained as soon as the diner shut for the evening.

Granny turned the ‘closed’ sign on the door and began to sweep the floor as she answered, “then you need to find a way to convince Regina. That sounds like the only way Cora will agree.”

“She won’t listen, she’s too stubborn.”

“If you’re going to give up this easily are you sure this is the relationship you want?”

“Of course!”

“Then at least try, child. After all, she’s had her own experience of secret relationships recently, she might have changed her mind.”

Ruby looked surprised, “you know about that?”

“Oh please, I wasn’t born yesterday. Her and the Saviour have been dancing around each other for months now, and the looks between them when Emma first arrived in town… you’d have to be blind not to have noticed.”

Granny was right, Ruby decided. Maybe it was time to visit Regina. Tonight, before she wasted any more time and while Cora was out of the house. She just needed to make one stop at the B&B first.

~~~~~~ 

“Look I know how you feel, but I love your mother,” Ruby told her, the moment Regina opened the mansion door, “and I want to be with her.”

“We’ve been over this before,” Regina stood in the doorway, barring Ruby’s entry.

“Yeah, back when you only remembered who she used to be.”

“And _how_ she used to be.”

“That’s all in the past now. The same way everyone has been given a second chance since we came to Storybrooke. Except one thing hasn’t changed; I loved her in the Enchanted Forest and I still love her now.”

“She’ll break your heart.”

“I’m old enough to make this decision.”

“I feel responsible for her, because she’s my mother and…”

“That’s sort of the reason why I’m here,” Ruby looked down at the ground, a little nervous.

“I don’t understand.”

“I want to ask her to marry me.”

When Ruby looked up, Regina’s face showed surprise, shock, and disbelief. She had expected this, and gave the ex-queen a little time for her words to sink in. Her hand went to the ring box in her pocket and she considered taking it out to show Regina.

“I couldn’t ask her before, back in the other land, because she was still married to your father. From the moment she returned, I knew my feelings hadn’t changed.”

Regina shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, “it’s…”

“I think she’ll say yes, but only if you don’t object. So that’s why I’m here, now. Please, just…”

“Does Granny know?”

Ruby nodded, “not about the proposal, but she guessed from the way I was acting around Cora. She’s warned her not to hurt me but apart from that she’s holding her tongue, waiting to see what happens.”

She decided not to mention that Granny’s guess came from her werewolf sense of smell and after she nearly caught them at the diner, twice. Despite any opinions Granny had on the former Queen of Hearts she was willing to give her a chance if it made Ruby happy. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t be there for her granddaughter if Cora hurt her.

“No,” Regina closed her eyes and shook her head. “You can’t. She can’t… I won’t let her ruin this for me. It’s my last chance for real happiness.”

“What?”

“If she hurts you, they’ll all blame me for saying she could be trusted. Then they’ll start to wonder if _I_ can be trusted. It was a mistake letting her stay, I should have sent her back to the Enchanted Forest, or Wonderland, or anywhere else…”

“You can send people back home?”

“Except Henry,” Regina explained. “The spell can only return you to a place you’ve already been, and even then there’s no way to control it. It would take a few months to recover from sending her back, but…”

“No!” Ruby grabbed Regina’s arms and pushed her into the house, slamming her against a wall once they were inside. “Don’t you dare send her away from me again.”

“It’s for your own good.”

“Liar.”

Regina glared at Ruby, “fine, then prove that she has changed.”

“What? How?”

Regina smiled, “I’m sure we can think of something.”

~~~~~~

When Cora returned home from her scheduled visit to see Archie, she found Regina was distracted and distant towards her.

“Is everything okay between you and Emma?”

“Yes, things are going well. She’s ready to tell Henry but I’m worried about how he’ll react.”

“Henry loves you, he’ll be pleased to see you both happy.”

Regina moved around the kitchen, preparing to make their usual evening drinks as she spoke, “Ruby came to see me today.”

“Oh?”

“She seemed to think that I could finally be persuaded to listen to her.”

“I’ve told you how I feel.”

“I know and I have been thinking…”

“Yes?”

“Okay,” Regina nodded.

“Okay? You mean yes?” Cora felt her heart soar.

“On one condition.”

“You want us to keep it a secret?” Cora guessed.

“No, not that. Something else.”

“What?”

“This,” Regina held out a leather cuff.

Cora recognised it, “then I won’t be able to use my magic.”

“And no-one can accuse you of using magic to make Ruby love you.”

“What if I need it to protect you? Or Ruby?”

“Emma is the Saviour, no-one should need to use magic in Storybrooke.”

Cora looked down at the cuff in her daughter’s hand, and then wondered why she was hesitating. Taking the cuff she placed it over her wrist and immediately felt the shock as she lost contact with her magic. Cora grabbed the stool closest to her and sat down, taking deep breaths as the initial panic faded.

She felt Regina’s hand on her shoulder, as her daughter asked whether she was all right and nodded. Regina waited with her until she could speak, and felt strong enough to try standing.

“I’d like to go and visit Ruby, if you don’t mind.”

“Are you sure? Perhaps you should rest and go in the morning.”

“Please,” Cora just looked at her daughter.

“I’ll drive you,” Regina moved away to switch off the kettle.

“Thank you.”

 

Chapter 26

 

# Flashback

_The Knave came to her, Will Scarlet, and she thought he had just brought her Alice. Even though she had long-since left Wonderland to Anastasia’s rule, she knew the importance of stopping Alice. Instead he brought her something she would never have asked for: her heart. He skipped over the story of how he stole it from the Dark One, tricking her into allowing him close enough for Alice to place the heart back where it belonged._

_They wanted her help, of course. That was the price of returning the heart. Trying to get her to care enough about the new White Queen, and with her heart returned she was able to care. So she pushed aside any sorrow for the things she had done, there would be time for regrets later. She considered herself a strong woman. Anastasia needed her help and the poor girl was like another daughter to her now._

_She gave Will and Alice the assistance they requested, giving Anastasia another chance to be with the man who loved her. Cora had accepted the heart as a gift, vowing not to give it up again but unable to reveal its presence. If the Dark One discovered it had been stolen from him, he would try to hurt Will and that in turn would hurt Anastasia. So she hid herself away, unable to face Regina after everything she had done and unable to let anyone else discover the truth._

_She never intended to fall in love again, but then one day a young woman, half-wolf, had wandered into her life and into her heart._

~~~~~~

Cora sat in Regina’s car, feeling stronger as she began to adjust to losing her magic. It was similar to the time she regained her heart. When Rumple had asked if she had put her heart back she told him ‘no’ and that she was ‘stronger without it’. The first had been true, someone else had done it for her, and the second was something she knew he wanted to hear. Love did make her weak, that had been her first thought as she felt the effects of the cuff and immediately wanted to take it back off. She had given up her magic for love, for Ruby. Love was also the reason she finally had her heart returned to her.

When they arrived at the diner, she removed her seatbelt and gave her daughter a quick smile before opening the door.

Regina watched from the car as her mother swiftly entered the diner and sought out the waitress. She saw Ruby recognise the cuff and lead Cora through the kitchen door out of sight of prying eyes and ears. No doubt there would be hugging and kissing, which she did not need to see.

Regina smiled. Perhaps things would work out after all.

She pulled away from the diner, and drove to the Sheriff’s station. She wanted to see Emma and talk to her. There were things she hadn’t told Ruby, a plan to ensure her mother had changed.

~~~~~~

Cora placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders as the waitress lifted her and spun her around. They were standing in the storeroom behind the kitchen, where no-one else could see them or interrupt. Ruby had kissed her the second the door closed behind them, and Cora hadn’t stopped smiling since she entered the diner and saw her.

The older woman wrapped her arms around Ruby now that her feet were touching the ground again, “I can’t believe you got Regina to agree…”

“You’re not angry that I went to see her?”

“We can be together, without hiding, I’m so _happy_.”

“Me too,” Ruby raised her right hand and stroked Cora’s cheek. “Thank you for choosing me over your magic.”

“Regina told you about the cuff?”

“She said she would offer you the choice, so I would know whether you loved me enough and wanted to be with me more than you wanted magic.”

“Did you doubt me?”

Ruby hesitated, “I hoped you would chose me. I know how important having magic is to you, how much you rely on it…”

“That was the old me.”

“So now we can tell everyone about us? We can hold hands walking down the street, go on real dates and live in my cabin?”

“Are you asking me to move in?” Cora asked with a smile.

“Of course!” Ruby took Cora’s hands in her own, “it’s nothing like your castle in the forest, but it can ours.”

“What about Granny? Aren’t you living with her at the moment?”

“Only because she had the flu a while back and it was easier to look after her and the diner by staying in town. I always meant to go back to the cabin eventually. Unless you think it’s too small?”

“It’s perfect. I love that it’s private out there, and it’s big enough for us.”

“Then there’s just one more thing I have to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

Ruby knelt down in front of Cora, took the engagement ring from her pocket and held it out to the woman she loved, “will you marry me?”

Cora’s smile grew, there were tears in her eyes and her emotions were so overwhelming she couldn’t speak. She nodded and helped Ruby to her feet, kissing her before Ruby could place the ring on her finger.

“I love you,” she told Ruby, the moment she found her voice again.

“I love you too,” Ruby promised in return.

~~~~~~

Emma closed the report and placed her head, face down, on the folder. She had finished the last of her paperwork for the day and she was exhausted. The cells were empty and her father was out on patrol so there wasn’t anything else for her to do, except wait for the phone to ring.

Her eyes opened at the sound of sharp heels on the station floor and her head shot up from the desk. She smiled as Regina entered the room and held up the pile of folders neatly stacked.

“All done for the day,” she proudly informed her.  

Regina smiled, but not as happily as Emma expected, “wonderful.”

“Is something wrong? Is it Henry?”

“Henry’s fine. I need to talk to you, it’s about my mother.”

“We’re alone here, David won’t be back for another hour – two if he stops to see Snow on the way back.”

“Good,” Regina sat down in the chair nearest Emma’s and wondered where to begin.

“Has Cora used her magic to hurt someone?” Emma prompted.

“No, and she won’t now. She has agreed to wear that awful cuff, the one that blocks magic.”

“Wow, that’s good. How did you get her to do that?”

“She’s in love and I told her it’s the only way to prove she wasn’t using magic to make the other person love her back.”

“Someone’s dating your mom? That must be weird for you.”

“I’ve known about the relationship for a little while, I thought it was over.”

“Who?”

Regina took a deep breath before answering, “Ruby.”

Emma sat there looking stunned. Regina tried to explain. She told Emma that Cora and Ruby had met long before the curse, and about what happened when Cora first arrived in Storybrooke. Eventually she told her about Ruby’s visit and her idea of using the cuff. She didn’t know if Emma was listening, or still in shock over the revelation.

“I guess…” Emma began after a further few moments of silence, “if Ruby still loves her and she loves Ruby… then it’s no-one else’s business.”

The look Emma gave Regina made her wonder if she was thinking about their secret relationship.

“I had one more idea, to prove that my mother really does love Ruby.”

“You still don’t trust her?”

“I want to, and this plan will help with that.”

“Regina…”

“No-one will get hurt. I promise.”

So Regina laid out the plan for Emma. When she was finished, Emma was frowning at her girlfriend.

“What about Ruby? If anything goes wrong, if it doesn’t go as you hope, then Cora… and you…?”

“I just want to know that I can trust my mother. I want to believe that she really does love someone, that she is capable of real love.”

“Because that means she really does love you?”

Regina shrugged, not daring to say the words.

 

Chapter 27.

 

They didn’t make a big show out of the engagement ring when they emerged from the kitchen at the diner. Ruby wanted to take Cora to see her grandmother at the B&B first, while Cora was worrying about telling Regina. A few of the customers noticed that Ruby was holding Cora’s hand as she led her outside, and once the door closed they began to whisper.

“Once we tell Granny, I should go and tell Snow too. At least Granny knows about us, telling Snow could take a while,” Ruby’s stream-of-consciousness conversation continued as they walked to the B&B. “Then we can collect your things from Regina’s so you can move back into the cabin today. It might need a quick dusting, and we should pick up a few things from the store – just the essentials, the tinned stuff should be okay…”

Cora squeezed her hand for reassurance as Ruby opened the front door and Ruby smiled at her. Granny was standing behind the welcome desk, her face an unreadable mask as she watched them enter.

“Granny, we have some news and we wanted you to be the first to know,” Ruby lifted Cora’s left hand to show her the ring.

“Ruby proposed,” Cora spoke up, realising that Ruby would need a ring too.

“I see,” Granny studied Cora, and then looked at her granddaughter. “You’re sure about this?”

“We love each other,” Ruby told her.

Granny gave a swift, curt nod and smiled – albeit a little less warmly than usual, “then I wish you all the best.”

She came around the desk and hugged Ruby. Cora watched feeling awkward, but Granny knew it was important for Ruby to see that she accepted her choices and held out her hand to Cora when she had released Ruby.

Cora shook her hand and smiled, “thank you.”

“I suppose you’ll be off to tell Regina next? In that case I’ll save my grandmother speech until the engagement party.”

“Engagement party?”

Ruby rolled her eyes, “Granny I’ve only just proposed, we haven’t had time to plan anything like that yet.”

“Leave it to me. We’ll celebrate at the diner… no, the Rabbit Hole – I don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen during my granddaughters engagement party. You run along to see Regina and I’ll call them now.”

“But…”

“Shoo,” Granny ushered them towards the door and outside.

Cora frowned, wondering how many people would want to celebrate with them. It didn’t matter to her, she only cared about a few people in this town, but as Ruby was one of them she wanted her to be happy. Hopefully Granny would talk enough people into coming, if only for her granddaughter’s sake.

~~~~~~       

They spotted Regina’s car outside the Sheriffs station, but decided to give her some time with Emma. Cora suggested heading to the cabin, to begin the cleaning required, but Ruby wanted to go shopping for food first.

“You don’t have your magic,” Ruby reminded her, “you can’t transport us there and back in an instant. We’ll come back for your clothes, when we tell Regina the news, but for now lets get a few essentials and I’ll drive us.”

“I suppose I should learn to drive too. The cabin is rather far from the town.”

“Good idea, we’ll see about organising some lessons and maybe when I’m not working you can practice with me.”

“Driving lessons cost money, as will the car. Without my magic to provide things for us I’m going to need a job. Regina has been trying to help me find one but so far I haven’t been successful.”

“Maybe you could work at the diner with me? Granny’s been spending more and more time at the B&B, since she’s been ill she finds it too tiring – whatever do you, never tell her I said that!”

Cora laughed, “I promise.”

Ruby pointed out the grocery store and they crossed the road, “if we have the same shifts we could spend more time together and you’d see Regina and Henry when they come in for food.”

“I’d like that.”

“Great, we’ll tackle Granny about it later.” Ruby grabbed a basket from the front of the store, “now what would you like?”

~~~~~~

They stored the food at the cabin, and gave the place a quick spring clean, finding the bedroom a little distracting.

Ruby insisted that Cora’s amorous advances could wait until after they had shared their news with Regina, “I think she’s prefer to find out from us, rather than Granny’s invitation to the party, after all.”

So they headed back to town and made their way slowly, and talking loudly, into the Sheriff’s station. Ruby held Cora’s left hand in her right one, to hide the ring, and they walked over to Regina. Even though Ruby had mentioned wanting to propose to Cora, she didn’t think Regina would have expected the outcome quite so soon.

Regina’s reaction was reserved, but she congratulated them, and admired the ring while Emma came over to hug Ruby. Cora explained that she wanted to move into Ruby’s cabin and that she needed to pick up her clothes from the mansion first.

“I thought you were dating that other girl?” Emma whispered as Regina went to speak with her mother.

Ruby blushed, remembering the deception with the illusion spell, “about that… you see…”

She was saved by the telephone, which began to ring. Emma sighed and went to answer it, smiling when she heard the news on the other end.

“Guys you didn’t tell us about the party,” she accused them as she hung up.

“Party?” Ruby stared at her blankly for a moment, before she remembered. “Oh, the engagement party. Granny’s going to organise something and of course you’re invited - as soon as we know when it is.”

“Well Granny certainly doesn’t waste time. That was the invitation, and it’s tonight.”

“Tonight?” Cora’s voice hit a high note as she overheard their conversation.

“Oh no, if she’s ringing around to everyone we have to hurry. Cora – we need to get to Snow before she moves too far down her list,” Ruby grabbed Cora’s hand, “sorry guys. We’ll see you later, okay?”

Emma was still smiling as the door closed behind them. Regina came over and draped her arms around Emma’s neck, nestling her face into the blonde’s hair.

Emma returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Regina’s waist, “thank goodness you warned me about Ruby and your mom. The engagement is still a bit of a curveball though.”

“Ruby mentioned something about proposing, but I didn’t realise she would act this quickly.”

“Must be a werewolf thing if Granny has the engagement party organised already,” Emma joked.

“It means moving up my plan. I need to ensure it’s real love before they decide to elope and get married.”

Emma leaned back and kissed Regina’s check, “hey, if you need me to, I’ll help.”

“I’d like that.”

 

Chapter 28.

 

Cora had latched her hand onto Ruby’s and refused to let go. Navigating the party was a nightmare. She had wanted to put on her don’t-care Queen-of-Hearts face but Ruby had suggested that would just remind the guests of who she used to be, so she tried to smile and follow Ruby’s small talk with them. There were a few familiar faces, families she had known in the Enchanted Forest as Henry’s wife. Rumplestiltskin had shown up, parading around with Belle on his arm and keeping a civil tongue in her presence.

“How long until we can go back to the cabin?” she whispered to Ruby as she spotted a clock and realised they had been at the party for nearly an hour.

“Granny’s booked the bar until it closes. It’s just one night, then we can spend the rest of them all alone.”

From what she could remember, the Rabbit Hole wouldn’t close until the early hours of the morning. Her engagement party to Henry hadn’t gone on this late. She wished she had her magic back – she could trick everyone into thinking it was later and then whisk her and Ruby home. Retreating to a corner of the room when Snow came and whisked Ruby away, she kept one eye on the clock above the bar and another on her fiancée.

After a lot of drinking, someone called for speeches and Ruby came to find her. Snow started them off – with Charming quieting the room for her – telling everyone what a wonderful friend Ruby was and how important she was to her. Granny went up next, to give her promised speech, telling a few stories from Ruby’s childhood and making the crowd laugh. Emma followed, after some encouragement from her mother, and tried to include Cora in her words, wishing them both well. A handful of others spoke, including Belle, and at the end Rumple stood up and began to walk forward. Before he could speak, Cora quickly thanked everyone for their kind words and reminded them that they only had a limited time left before the bar closed.

Ruby was invited to dance with Snow and Cinderella, so Cora returned to her corner to watch. Shortly after a serious-faced Granny sat down opposite her. Cora suspected she knew what was coming/what she was about to say.

“I’m going to keep this short,” Granny looked directly into Cora’s eyes, “I love Ruby and I want her to be happy. She loves you and I know that if I want to stay in her life I have to accept that. So here’s the deal: come work at the diner – I’ve heard you’re still trying to find your niche in this town and you need a job - let’s get to know each other a little better. I can’t promise we’ll be friends, but I’m willing to try if you are.”

Cora smiled, “I’m willing.”

“Good,” Granny stood up and held out her hand, shaking Cora’s when the other woman offered it. “Because if you hurt her….”

“I have a daughter too,” Cora reminded her, feeling the strength of the aging wolf’s grip and understanding the message.

Alone again, Cora relaxed. It hadn’t been as bad as she’d thought. She had a feeling she’d get on rather well with Granny – after a while.

She went to the restroom and splashed some cold water on her face, before going to look for Ruby. Perhaps they could share a dance together, some of the music played was slow enough and she hoped that having their bodies so close together would encourage her fiancée to end the party sooner. If only she had her magic she could have moved the clocks forward.

Regina had explained to her about pawnshops, but Cora didn’t want to go to Rumple for this. Ruby deserved a new, history-free engagement ring. Anything in the Dark One’s possession came at the cost of another. She had a small collection of jewellery, her only valuable possessions in this land, and if she sold some she could buy Ruby something special. Wanting to keep her plan a secret, she would suggest Ruby go to visit her friends while she went shopping in the town in the morning.

~~~~~~

Ruby fell back onto the bed, laughing. She was a little drunk and had thoroughly enjoyed the party. Cora shook her head as she attempted to find her nightwear in the two bags she’d had time to pack earlier that day. There were still a few boxes-worth of belongings back at the mansion, but these were her essentials.

“Come to bed,” Ruby called to her.

“As soon as I find my… there it is!” Cora triumphantly shook out the silk negligee.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll keep you warm.”

Cora turned and saw Ruby struggling to undo the button on her skin-tight jeans, “you might want to take off the shoes first.”

“Help me?” Ruby gave her the puppy-dog eyes and then spoiled the effect with a thoroughly wolfish grin.

Slipping out of her own shoes, Cora crossed the room to help. She removed Ruby’s shoes and then turned away to begin removing her own clothes, but Ruby sat up and reached for her wrist.

“If you help me, I have to help you.”

“My shoes are already off, dear.”

“Then I’ll help you with the rest of your clothes.”

“I can manage,” Cora teased her, smiling.

Ruby moved closer to her, before leaning in to kiss her, “I know.”

Her hands roamed Cora’s body, finding the zip on her dress and easing it down the older woman’s back. From the moment she saw the dark purple dress, Ruby had wanted nothing more than to remove it – the way it hugged Cora’s curves had been distracting her all evening. Once the dress hit the floor, Ruby lifted Cora into her arms and turned to lay her on the bed. She kissed over every inch of visible skin, allowing her teeth to graze over the still-covered areas. Cora placed a hand on Ruby’s head, stroking the soft hair twisted away from the younger woman’s face in an elaborate style. Ruby looked up at her, and there was a wild look in her eyes that sent a thrill straight to Cora’s core. She nodded once and Ruby used her werewolf strength to remove Cora’s underwear in a matter of seconds. Then her hot mouth pressed to already damp folds, her tongue moving expertly, making Cora moan.

~~~~~~

Regina waited for her mother and Ruby enter the town. She listened as they made their plan to meet outside the library at midday for lunch, holding hands and smiling, and she averted her eyes as they kissed goodbye. Cloaked in magic she knew her mother wouldn’t sense her presence, not with her magic blocked. Midday would give her plenty of time to complete the spell she had found. The creature would look scary, but wouldn’t be able to actually hurt anyone. She quickly returned to her vault. All of the ingredients were at hand; she had checked and double-checked the spell book.

She was just taking down the first of the jars from a shelf when Emma arrived, as promised, to help. Regina directed her to measure out the ingredients – Emma couldn’t read the language of the spell. When they were done, nearly an hour’s hard work completed, Emma looked at her but didn’t question if she still wanted to go ahead with the plan.

 

Chapter 29.

 

_Flashback._

_The leaves were turning gold, filling the rundown gardens of Cora’s new home with brightness. A few fallen, dry leaves rustled as the edges of her dress swept over them and she smiled as Red came walking towards her._

_The girl had been running through the forest, her cheeks were flushed and her hair a wild tangle around her face. Cora smiled as Red swept her up into her arms and spun around with her._

_“Wonderful news!”_

_Cora steadied herself by placing her hands on Red’s shoulders and waited to be let down. She refused to speak until her feet were returned to the floor._

_“Autumn is really here!” Red told her. “Our special blackberry bushes are ripening. Come for a walk and help me pick enough for a pie.”_

_Cora smiled, remembering the mixed fruit pies Red made her last year. She magicked a basket into her hands and exchanged her cloak for a warmer one. Red slipped her hand into Cora’s and led the way._

~~~~~~          

Traffic passed in front of the library and Cora had to wait before she could cross the road. She couldn’t see Ruby yet, and she had been worried she was running a little late. Choosing the perfect ring had taken longer than she expected, but it was worth it. She had found the most perfect diamond surrounded by tiny rubies, and she hoped Ruby would love it.

Cora stood to the left of the library doors and glanced up as the clock hands moved. She heard a familiar whistle and smiled. In the Enchanted Forest she would always use her magic to reply, but now she had to settle for turning to look.

Ruby waved as she stepped around the other pedestrians on the pavement. Cora had her hand raised half-way when the monster came around the corner. It was huge, over half the height of the library. Pale, almost translucent skinned, it walked slowly on two legs. There were tufts of red fur around its neck and feet, with two large antlers sprouting from its triangular baldhead.

A car screeched to a halt, trying to avoid the creature, and was ignored. Other Storybrooke citizens ran away. Ruby headed straight for Cora, using a burst of wolf-speed to reach her.

“Inside the library,” Ruby tried to get her to move.

Cora shook her head, “what if it decides to destroy it? We’d be trapped.”  

“Then where?”

Cora pulled her down along the library and around the corner to where they had left the car. When she looked back, she saw the monster was following them. Ruby noticed the same thing. She left Cora by the car, running towards the monster to get its attention, then to the side trying to lure it away by calling out to it. Ignoring Cora, she kept going, not looking where she was going.

She didn’t hear the car coming.

Cora saw it.

~~~~~~

Flashback.

Cora dozed on the sofa in front of the fire, a light blanket tucked around her. Red lay next to her in wolf-form, head resting on Cora’s lap. She was warm and comfortable; feeling a way she hadn’t felt for a long time. Her hand reached out and stroked Red’s fur, the same way she did when Red was human and the softness under her hand was long, dark hair.

It wasn’t even the night of a full moon, but Red had felt the need to change. After hours spent in the forest she had returned, ignoring the red cloak which would have given her a painless transformation. Red had gone to lie in front of the fireplace, but Cora invited her onto the sofa. This was new for them, spending time together while Red was in wolf-form. The younger girl was still learning to accept who she was, still afraid of making a mistake and being rejected.

Cora leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Red’s head, “if you want to sleep this way, I’ll understand and you can stay by the fire. I love you but I don’t want fur on the bed.”

Red whined and refused to budge when Cora tried to stand.

“I’m not sleeping here,” Cora told her, “though I will miss having you keep me warm.”

Red’s tail moved as she thought it over. Eventually she raised her head from Cora’s lap, jumped down from the sofa and padded softly over to her red cloak.

Soon she was pulling the cloak around her human form and smiling at Cora, “I like keeping you warm,” she held out a hand to help the witch up from the sofa, “especially when we’re not wearing any clothes.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” Cora agreed, moving to kiss her.

Red held up a hand, “let me brush my teeth first, just in case … wolf-breath.”  

“Perhaps a bath as well?” Cora asked, pulling something green from Red’s hair.

“Join me?”

Cora raised her hand, filling the tub with warm water, “an offer I can’t refuse.”

~~~~~~

Before Ruby knew it, the car was inches away. If felt like time was slowed. One minute the car was there, the next Cora’s body slammed into her and pushed her out of the way.

When she opened her eyes all she could see was the road. She forced her body to move, to get up. It hurt to breathe, but she wasn’t thinking about that.

Cora was close enough that within a few, staggering steps Ruby was by her side. Regina was there, Emma too. The blonde was checking Cora for injuries, one hand holding a phone up to her ear as she called the hospital. Ruby knelt down by Cora, calling her name.

“Regina, can you take us to the hospital? They’ve cleared a space in the waiting room by the reception desk,” Emma was speaking, but Ruby only heard it faintly.

She glanced up and noticed how pale Regina looked, watched Cora’s daughter stretch out her fingers as if summoning her magic – but nothing happened. Emma saw it too, so she put her cell in a pocket and focused on her own magic, surrounding them with a bright cloud of magic, and transporting them to the hospital.

~~~~~~

“It’s all my fault,” Regina whispered the words over and over, her head on Emma’s shoulders and the blondes arms around her back.

“She’ll be fine, Dr Whale will help her.”

“When she wakes up she’ll be so angry.”

“You didn’t mean for this to happen. You said the monster couldn’t hurt anyone.”

“It couldn’t. Even if anyone had gotten close enough, it wouldn’t have been able to physically touch them. It was just meant to see…”

“I know,” Emma rubbed a hand over Regina’s back as she saw Dr Whale approaching. “Any news doc?”

“She’s still unconscious. They’ll be some bruising but we’ll need the x-ray results to see if there’re any fractures or breaks. We’ve got her stabilised…”

“But?”

“I’m worried, her pulse is still weak.”

“Can we see her?”

“Ruby’s in with her now, but of course – Regina’s family.”

Emma moved her hand down Regina’s back and slipped it into Regina’s hand, “thanks.”

~~~~~~

Regina stared down at her mother, aware that Ruby was watching her. She looked at the monitors but, other than recognising the one keeping track of her mother’s heartbeat, didn’t understand what they were doing. Emma was waiting outside, Dr Whale would only allow two visitors at one time.

“She saved my life,” Ruby spoke suddenly.

“Yes.”

“Bet you didn’t think she’d do that.”

Regina didn’t answer.

“Dr Whale doesn’t know when she’ll wake up. Is there anything you can do, any magic…?”

“The enchanted cuff would weaken it too much.”

“Then take it off. Dr Whale thinks blocking off her magic anyway and that might be stopping her from getting better.”

Regina was torn. She had promised Emma that she would remove it when she had proof that her mother had changed, that she really did love Ruby, that she wouldn’t hurt anyone. Now though, she was worried about her mother having her magic and finding out what she had done.

Regina looked away, to the closed door where Emma was waiting for her on the other side. She knew what Emma would say.

“Okay.”

 

Chapter 30.

 

She passed through the hospital unnoticed, the same as when she walked through the town or sat in the diner. The medical staff appeared relaxed, as though there were no urgent cases for them to deal with. A few people were just standing around, gossiping about the latest Storybrooke drama.

Following Cora around she had been prepared for many things, but the monster attack had been unexpected. She could have used magic to avoid it, but someone might have seen and she didn’t want that. Better to remain anonymous for now.

Pausing outside Cora’s room, she sent out a thin tendril of magic to let her listen to the conversation within. Then she took a seat nearby, watching the town’s Sheriff who was speaking on her cellphone while the magic fed her the words from the room.

~~~~~~

Cora could feel strong arms holding her and she opened her eyes knowing whom she would see at her side. Ruby smiled and kissed her forehead, reassuring her that everything was okay and letting her know where they were.

“Are you alright?” Cora asked her, looking concerned.

“You saved me.”

“The monster…”

“Regina stopped it,” Ruby tilted her head in Regina’s direction, “and she’s taken the cuff off, to help heal you.”

“Are you sure you’re not injured?”

“I’m fine. You’re the one we were all worried about. How do you feel?”

Cora smiled at her, “tired.”

“I should go and find Dr Whale, let him know you’re awake,” Regina spoke up, wanting to leave the room before her mother asked any questions.

She opened the door before there were any objections, and when she looked back she saw Ruby leaning down to kiss her mother and was doubly glad of her decision. Emma was waiting for her outside the room. She offered Regina a hug and listened as Regina poured out her worries.

Inside the hospital room, Cora was trying to remember what had happened. She could remember the monster and reaching their car, but that was all. Ruby patiently explained the rest.

“I’m sure Regina and Emma will look into where that monster came from, perhaps it came over with the curse and only just came out of hiding,” Ruby suggested, just as Regina returned with the doctor.

By this time, Cora was beginning to remember a little more. She thanked Regina for removing the cuff before the doctor could spout his medical jargon at them. Her daughter just nodded and wouldn’t meet her gaze for long. She only half-listened to Dr Whale, watching Regina as he spoke. Then, when no-one asked any questions, he left again.

“Ruby, would you mind getting me something to drink? You know how I hate water and that’s all they have provided on that little table,” Cora smiled at her.

“Of course. Regina can stay with you.”

Cora waited until enough time had passed for Ruby to be out of earshot before she spoke. Regina had retreated to the far side of the room, hovering near a chair.

“Regina…”

“You know, don’t you,” Regina stated it before her mother could accuse her.

Cora saw the way her hand tightened on the back of the chair, saw the corners of her mouth tighten and flashed back to memories of other times when Regina had been scared of her.

“I think I understand why you did it, but I’d like you to tell me,” Cora tried to keep her voice light.

“It was a test. I made sure the monster couldn’t hurt anyone, just in case…”

“In case I failed?”

“Yes.”

“You wanted to make sure I had changed? That I really love Ruby… and you?”

Regina nodded.

“Perhaps this will help prove it to you,” Cora said, reaching up to her chest and pulling out her heart to show her daughter.

After a few seconds she put it back it, scared that she might be tempted to keep it separate from her body. From Regina’s stunned expression, her daughter hadn’t expected that.

“He… he said you didn’t have it, that you removed it long before I was born.”

“Rumple doesn’t know,” Cora explained, knowing which ‘he’ Regina referred to, “I promised not to tell him, because he thinks he still has it.”

“How long?”

“Before the curse, just before I met Red for the first time. That’s why I came to you that day, trying to tell you to find your True Love because I knew I had found mine. There is so much I want to tell you Regina. I’m sorry for so much.”

Cora held out her arms and Regina slowly walked towards her, desperate for it to be real. When her mother hugged her and whispered that she loved her, Regina began to cry. That brought Emma into the room, because she had been watching through the partially open door. She blocked the way from Ruby who returned with a hot chocolate for Cora – because she wasn’t sure whether she should be drinking coffee. The waitress and Sheriff looked at each other, and Emma shrugged as if to show that she didn’t know what to do.

Eventually the hug ended, both Regina and Cora wiping their eyes. Ruby passed the hot drink to Cora and Emma put an arm around Regina’s shoulders.

“So, everything okay now?” Emma asked.

“Yes,” Cora and Regina spoke at the same time.

Ruby smiled, “good because Dr Whale said if the x-ray’s check out okay after your magical healing, courtesy of Emma, you can come home and then we can finish planning our wedding.”

“Speaking of which,” Cora looked around for her clothes, trying to ignore the fact that she was no longer wearing them. “Has anyone seen my coat?”

“Probably over here,” Emma, who was closest to the small cupboard in the room, opened it and found Cora’s clothes neatly folded.

“You can’t get changed until after the x-ray,” Ruby warned her.

“I want something from the coat pocket.”

Cora thanked Emma as she placed the coat on the bed and rummaged around in the folds. She took out the small jewellery box and smiled at Ruby, opening the lid slowly.

“I hope you like it.”

Ruby gasped when she saw the ring, “it’s… beautiful.”

“If it doesn’t fit I can use my magic to adjust it… or we can get the jeweller to do so,” Cora looked at Regina. “Do I still need to wear the cuff?”

“No. I think we can trust you now.”

Cora took the ring out of the box and Ruby held out her hand so she could slip the ring on her finger.

“It fits,” Ruby told them, turning to show Regina and Emma. “Isn’t it just perfect?”

They agreed with her, admiring the ring. When the nurse came to collect Cora for her x-ray, Ruby showed her the ring as well.

Regina and Emma stayed behind in the room, finally getting a chance to talk. Emma was happy that Regina’s plan had worked, despite Cora’s injuries, and tried not to think about all the work involved in fixing all the damage caused by the monster. Regina was happy knowing her mother had her heart back, that her part in the day’s drama was forgiven and that she had Emma to confide in.

~~~~~~

She had learnt so much more than expected, not that her plans would alter in any way. There might still be time to see Cora, perhaps at the wedding. The stranger smiled to herself as she stood and walked back through the hospital towards the exit. Once she arrived in a quiet area, without any witnesses, she used her magic to take her away.

 

Chapter 31.

 

The bride wore white. And so did the other bride, though a slightly creamier shade because it wasn’t her first wedding and she didn’t feel right wearing a colour that symbolised goodness after all she had done in her life. They held bouquets of red roses in the small room at the town hall where they said their vows and more rose petals scattered throughout the larger room where they held the party afterwards. Ruby had refused to hold the wedding at the diner, claiming she already spent too much time there and it would feel like she was supposed to be working. Granny didn’t mind too much, a wedding party meant a lot of cleaning up afterwards and she had looked forward to her role of walking Ruby down the (short) aisle and giving her away. Snow had suggested David could take this role, but Ruby declined.

They were going to have a two-week honeymoon, just the two of them, before Cora started working at the diner. As they couldn’t leave Storybrooke, Regina’s gift would be a spell to hide their cabin and part of the forest so they would be left undisturbed, for only those two weeks. Seeing how happy her daughter was with the blonde, Cora had changed her mind about trying to split them apart and making it look like Snow was to blame.

“I’ve given up my plans for revenge against Snow,” Cora promised Regina when they finally found a quiet moment to talk at the party. “I’m so glad that you’ve found someone who makes you as happy as Ruby makes me.”

“ _Mom_ …” Regina looked around, worried in case Snow heard her.

“I know; it’s a secret. I do have some experience of having a secret love.”

Ruby and Emma came over, holding two glasses of champagne each. Emma seemed to have trouble walking in a straight line, and she was smiling a lot. Regina quickly took the champagne away from her, and changed one to a sparkling apple juice before handing it back. Emma didn’t seem to notice as she took a sip.

“So, you’re keeping Ruby’s last name?” Emma asked Cora, leaning into Regina.

“Yes, it’s a new start for me and _Mills_ would be too much a reminder of the life I left behind. I rather like the sound of Cora Lucas.”

“So if you’re a Queen and Ruby is your wife is she a Queen too?”

Cora looked lovingly at her new wife; amused to see the way drunk-Emma had put an arm around Regina’s waist so easily, “she will always be the Queen of _my_ heart, but no. I’m no longer a Queen. Not really.”

“It’s such a relief that it’s over now. I got really worried when you were in hospital, I’m just so glad everything worked out.”

“I think we all are,” Regina told her trying to remove Emma’s hand, which stubbornly remained in place.

“Mom even said that’s why so many people came to the wedding,” Emma explained, “after Cora got injured trying to save your life they’re giving her another chance.”

“Did you ever find out where that creature came from?” Ruby asked. “If it comes back…”

“Oh it couldn’t hurt anyone,” Emma assured her.

Suddenly Regina was glad Emma was holding her, she knew she had to tell Ruby the truth, “Emma’s right, and I know because I created it.”

Ruby frowned, “by accident?”

“No, I wanted to test my mother.”

“You nearly got her _killed_!” the werewolf growled at her.

Ruby stepped forward, but Cora put a hand on her arm to stop her, “she had good reason not to trust me.”

“But…”

Cora leaned in to whisper in Ruby’s ear, “I’ve done so many bad things over the years. I’ve forgiven her. Please Ruby, just let it go. She didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt.”

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out, along with her anger. She looked at Regina and saw the look in her eyes, saw the concern in Emma’s for the ex-Queen. Cora felt her relax and smiled, taking a step back. Ruby lifted her hand slowly towards Regina, made a fist and gently punched her shoulder.

“You’d better not hurt my wife again,” Ruby warned her.

“Er, Ruby,” Emma looked at Regina to check that she was alright as she spoke, “you shouldn’t hit your daughter.”

Ruby’s eyes widened as she realised that Regina was now her step-daughter. Technically.

No, really.

From the pole-axed look on Regina’s face she was coming to the same conclusion.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one who had already figured that out?” Emma asked them.

Cora smiled, “it had occurred to me.”

“So, I think we should leave your mom’s to dance and maybe go join the dancefloor ourselves,” Emma whispered in Regina’s ear.

“Emma!” Regina finally managed to step away from her. “What about your parents?”

Emma looked around, “they’re already dancing.”

Ruby pulled Cora away, giving Regina and Emma a little privacy, “I think a dance sounds like a wonderful idea.”

“Whatever you want.”

~~~~~~

Cora was resting at the side of the room, watching her new wife spending a final few moments with Granny before they left. She had danced, drunk and surprised herself by enjoying the party.

When she saw Belle approaching her, she looked around for Rumplestiltskin but the young girl was alone. She had a present in her hands, covered in white tissue paper with a white bow on top, which she held out to Cora.

“Rumple didn’t come,” Belle quickly explained, “he wasn’t sure whether he would be welcome, or if it would spoil the celebrations, but he wanted to give you this.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. He promised me that it was nothing harmful.”

“And you believe him?”

“He promised me.”

Cora used her magic to confirm before accepting the present. She couldn’t sense anything lethal so she opened it, slowly. Inside all the fancy wrapping was a wooden box, one that Cora instantly recognised.

“He said to tell you, once you saw the box, that he hopes you’ll accept this gift. He thinks that you might be ready to have it back now, so that you can be happy, just like he is now he has Neal back.”

It was the box that had contained her heart. Did Rumple really not know it had already been returned to her? If he didn’t, the Knave’s secret was still safe.

“Please thank him for me,” Cora smiled at Belle, who smiled back at her, then went to speak to some of her new Storybrooke friends.

Eventually Ruby returned, “are you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

Ruby brought two fingers up to her lips and let out a loud whistle. When the music quietened she held out her hand to help Cora stand then told everyone that they were leaving. They were quickly surrounded by a small crowd, which included Granny, Regina, Emma and Snow.

“Enjoy your honeymoon, remember I expect you both at the diner first thing on the 18th.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Call me Granny, dear. We’re family now.”

“And as she’s married to Ruby you are her Granny-in-law,” Emma pointed out.

Regina gave her a look and Emma just shrugged. She had been helping Henry create a family tree for a school project and he’d wanted to put everyone on that was even remotely related to him, including Cora, Ruby and Granny. Knowing just how many people were included in that family tree had made Emma’s head ache, but she was pretty sure she could recite it all from memory. After all those years without a family and now she had one larger than she could ever have dreamed.

“Perhaps I should take Emma home,” Snow suggested, watching her daughter carefully.

“I’m going with Regina,” Emma told her.

“It was a lovely wedding,” Regina quickly interrupted, accepting a hug from her mother and Ruby. “Are you sure you don’t want my help with the spell?”

“I think I can manage,” Cora reassured her.

They made their way outside with their extended family; a magic-drawn carriage would take them home to the cabin in the woods. Turning their backs, Cora and Ruby threw their bouquets over their heads, then quickly turned back to see the lucky two. They smiled when they saw that Emma was holding Cora’s flowers and laughed at the expression on Henry’s face as he realised he had managed to catch Ruby’s – he had been standing further back out of the way but Ruby’s werewolf strength had pitched the flowers beyond the reach of the rest of the gathered crowd. Ruby helped Cora into the carriage and they peered through the small window, waving goodbye as the last of the presents were loaded into the box on the back of the carriage.

~~~~~~

Emma sat in the back of Regina’s car with Henry. Outwardly she was sulking because Regina wouldn’t let her sit up front, but inside she was really pleased with herself for being allowed in Regina’s car. Her parents seemed a little confused, but had put the strange behaviour down to the alcohol Emma had consumed.

“How drunk are you?” Henry asked, turning to her with a knowing smile.

Emma grinned, “not enough to buy you that new game your mom said no to.”

“I knew you were faking!”

Emma rolled her eyes, “duh. I know better than to get that drunk, thank you.”

When Neal turned up, Henry had pulled away from Emma for a while and grown closer to Regina. Over time he’d gained a more even-balanced relationship with his three parents. They had told Henry the truth (that they were dating) a week ago, and he was slowly coming to accept their relationship.

“So after you drop me off at dad’s, are you and mom are going to her house to make out in private?”

“Uh, yep,” Emma blushed as her mind wandered in another direction, but she was glad Henry hadn’t made that leap.

“Ew. At least I don’t have to watch. I don’t know what’s worse, when you and mom make out or grandma and grandpa.”

“I know which is worse for me,” Emma told him.

There was a knock on her car window and Emma lowered it. The redhead standing there smiled at the two passengers, holding a present in her hands.

“Am I too late? I have a present for the happy couple.”

“Sorry, they left a while ago.”

“Oh that’s a shame.”

“Are you a friend of Cora’s or Ruby’s?”

“I’m family, on Cora’s side.”

“Well Regina will be here soon, or you could leave it at the diner for them.”

“Oh no, this is something which I have to give them in person. I haven’t seen Cora in _forever_.”

“The honeymoon will be over in two weeks, there’s no way to contact them until that time.”

“I guess I’ll have to have patience,” the redhead turned and walked away.

Emma raised the window, shrugging when Henry gave her a questioning look, “Regina didn’t tell me she had any relatives in town.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know. We could check the book, it’s at mom’s house.”

“There’s no rush, I’m sure Cora will make the necessary introductions when she gets back.”

“So, how long until you let mom know you aren’t really drunk?”

“Oh, about five seconds after we get home.”

“Promise me you won’t do anything embarrassing while I’m in the car?”

“Kid, I cannot promise the impossible. These days you seem to find everything we adults do embarrassing.”

Henry nodded, “true.”

“Hey!” Emma reached over intending to tickle him into apologising, but Regina returned to the car and she had to take up her drunken charade.

 

Chapter 32.

 

Epilogue.

~~~~~~

Cora and Ruby spent their honeymoon at the cabin in the woods. Regina’s spell left plenty of room for Ruby to run in her wolf form and no-one could interrupt them. Cora just hoped that had stocked enough supplies to last, though she could always use a little magic. She had one final surprise for Ruby, an addition to the spell that would make it look like they were visiting all of their old favourite places from the other world.

“We can go anywhere you like, see anything you want. As long as one of us can picture it clearly,” Cora explained.

They were lying side by side in bed, the morning after their wedding, the sheets a tumbled mess. Ruby moved to place her head on Cora’s shoulder, one leg entwined with her wife’s. She reached down and held Cora’s right hand, lifting it up so that she could look at her wedding ring.

“I never imagined having this when we were in the Enchanted Forest.”

“Me? Or marriage in general?”

“The last after I found out about being a werewolf, the first… well I guess I was just living in the moment. Thinking about the future was for people who were being hunted, or…”

“The mother of the Evil Queen?”

“Yes.”

Cora used her free hand to stroke Ruby’s hair. The flimsy undergarments they had worn the night before were strewn around the room, she could see one or two small items from where she lay. Suddenly she realised they would be alone together, a situation they hadn’t enjoyed for this length of time since before the curse. She hoped that wouldn’t be a problem, but what if they fought?

“What would you like to do first?” Ruby asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Cora smiled, “breakfast in bed? You’re usually awake much earlier than this and I’m sure you’ll be hungry.”

“I could make it this morning, and it’ll be your turn tomorrow?”

“Or we could make it together, might be quicker?”

“Okay, then can we start opening presents?”

“Before or after getting dressed?”

“I thought we’d spend the whole day like this,” Ruby looked up at her with wide eyes and pouted.

Cora laughed, “just today?”

Ruby shrugged, “well, until I need to go for a run to stretch my legs. After all, what else is a honeymoon for if not to spend it naked with the woman I love?”

Cora wasn’t sure she agreed with the ‘naked’ part, but then Ruby was kissing her and she forgot any objections.

~~~~~~

The nights passed quickly, while the days were a little longer. At night they fell asleep in their bed, or on the sofa – sometimes even in front of the fireplace on a soft rug. They had great fun with the re-creation of their bedroom from the Enchanted Forest, keeping the illusion for a couple of days.

For the first few days they lazed around the house, but both quickly became bored and struggled to keep a conversation going. Cora suggested a walk in the woods; they could see the wildlife, pick flowers and just enjoy the different kind of peace and quiet.

Ruby requested a visit to the pool of water that had been near the woodcutter’s house and Cora obliged. They spent a whole afternoon bathing and swimming naked in the pool, until Ruby finally worked off some of her pent up energy enough to drift over to the shallow part, take Cora in her arms and kiss her. Planting her feet firmly at the bottom of the pool she re-created the scene from years before, Cora trembling against her.

Long before nightfall they walked home barefoot, hand-in-hand, their clothes clinging to damp bodies.

“Where do you want to go tomorrow?” Ruby asked her.

“Let’s take one day at a time,” Cora suggested, too tired to come up with an idea.

“I like that plan.”

~~~~~~

When the honeymoon was finally over, Cora stood in the doorway of the cabin waiting for the magic to fade. She wondered whether Regina would come to visit and had been busy tidying the cabin just in case her daughter chose to surprise them.

She didn’t expect to have Henry suddenly materialise right in front of her, but she smiled and called Ruby before he could speak. When he did get his words out, she had time to notice the look on his face and she called her wife with a little more urgency.

“Everyone’s gone.”

~~~~~~

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: And that’s the end. Of this story anyway, as their love is no longer a secret and for some reason I started thinking about the other characters missing from this story (and I’m sure you can guess who was speaking to Emma and Henry in the previous chapter). Hope you’ve enjoyed this, probably not a pairing many people search for or consider reading but I had some ideas and the story evolved into this as I wrote.


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